Arnold to the Rescue
by Joeyhubb89
Summary: Arnold saves Rhonda from some hooligans one night so she feels compelled to thank him somehow. She eventually decides to ask him out on a date. Will sparks develop between them when they learn how much they have in common? How will their friends feel? How will Helga and Curly react?


_This is a Hey Arnold Fanfiction story about Arnold Shortman and Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd. I've read a few Arnold and Rhonda stories on here and have since then developed a new respect and admiration of the character Rhonda. So I thought I might tell my own story about the two of them._

 _Here's the premise; Arnold saves Rhonda from some hooligans one night and she feels compelled to repay him somehow. She eventually decides to go on a date with him. Will sparks fly between them when they realize how much they have in common? What will their friends think? And how will Helga and Curly react to this?_

 _This story is set after the events of Hey Arnold! the Movie and after April Fool's Day, but before the events of The Journal and the upcoming Jungle Movie, so at this point, Arnold knows how Helga feels about him and his feelings towards her will be addressed in the story at some point._

 _Since this is my first Fanfiction story, I feel the need to point out that I do not know how to submit this a chapter at a time, so it will be one whole story divided by chapters. Feel free to read, review and critique._

 _I do not own any of the characters, they belong entirely to Mr. Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon._

 _Chapter One:_

 _Saving Rhonda_

It started out like any other Thursday night. Arnold Shortman had just gotten off the bus and was walking down the street towards home. He was on his way home from the movies. He was listening to some music by Elvis Presley, specifically the soundtrack to Follow That Dream. He came up to an alley when he heard the sound of a girl crying out. He looked into the alleyway and saw what appeared to be two tough looking teenage boys cornering a young girl about his age. He took a closer look and saw that it was none other than his friend and schoolmate Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd! Thinking quickly, he walked up behind a dumpster to listen to what was happening. He heard the blonde boy say, "Alright girly. Give us your money and we won't lay a hand on you." The black haired boy said, "Yeah, cooperate with us and we won't hurt you." Rhonda was up against the wall clutching her purse, wishing she had some pepper spray to use on them.

Arnold quickly pocketed his music player and stepped out of the shadows. He called out, "Hey! Leave the girl alone!" The two hoodlums turned to look at Arnold and they both let out a laugh. The blonde boy said, "Beat it ya football headed pipsqueak, this don't concern you." Rhonda's eyes lit up at the sound of football head. She looked toward him and cried out, "Arnold! Please, help me!" Arnold said, "Don't worry Rhonda, I'll take care of these guys." The black haired boy said, "This guy's a joke. I'll get rid of him Tommy." The blonde boy, Tommy replied, "Make it quick Frankie, I can't hold this girl by myself."

Frankie walked up towards Arnold and said, "Last chance to walk away runt." Arnold stood his ground and said, "The only ones who will be walking away are you and your pal Tommy. It's up to you whether you wanna walk away or limp away." Frankie cracked his knuckles and said, "Alright pipsqueak, you asked for it!" And he made an attempt to punch Arnold, only for Arnold to grab him by the wrist, twist his arm behind his back and push him up against the wall. Astonished, Frankie said, "Maybe you're not as weak as you look." Arnold said, "You still have a chance to let her go." Frankie responded by breaking free and attempting to punch him again, only to be blocked and slapped across the face by Arnold. Frankie was bewildered as he asked, "Did you seriously just slap me?" Arnold replied, "Yes I did. Weird right? And I'll do more than that unless you walk away from the girl right now." Frankie made one more attempt to swing at him but Arnold grabbed him and knocked him against the dumpster head first. The force of the impact instantly knocked him out.

Tommy turned his attention to Arnold and asked, "What the heck did you just do kid?!" Arnold replied, "The same thing I'm gonna do to you if you don't let the girl go." Tommy started walking towards him and said, "You'll pay for that runt." Tommy took a swing at Arnold only for Arnold to block the punch and retaliate with a punch of his own. Tommy tried to punch him again only to be blocked and punched back by Arnold. Then Arnold did a sweep kick and knocked Tommy to the ground. Tommy grabbed a nearby bottle and attempted to hit Arnold with it, but he missed and it shattered against the wall. Arnold asked, "Have you and your friend had enough yet?" Tommy snarled and said, "You haven't bested me yet." He rose to his feet and tried to punch Arnold one more time. But Arnold ducked and did another sweep kick, knocking Tommy off his feet. This time he banged his head on a trash can lid. He turned to get up but felt his back begin to strain. He winced in pain as he got up. He looked at Arnold and said, "Alright runt. You win this time, but next time will be different." Arnold just stood his ground and said, "Maybe next time you'll think twice before you attempt to mug an innocent girl like her." Tommy limped over to Frankie and helped him up. They both slowly limped away.

Then Arnold turned to Rhonda and asked, "Rhonda, are you okay?" She looked at him and said, "Yes Arnold, I'm fine now thanks to you." He helped her to her feet and asked, "What happened?" She replied, "I was just walking home from the library when those two goons just grabbed me and pushed me into the alleyway. They said they wanted the money from my purse and then they'd let me go but I didn't believe that." Arnold said, "Well you're safe now. You're very lucky I showed up when I did then. Who knows what they might've done." Rhonda shouldered her purse and asked, "Arnold? Would you mind walking me the rest of the way home? I don't feel 100% safe at the moment." Arnold smiled at her and said, "I'd be glad to escort you safely home."

They walked out of the alleyway, with Arnold picking up his backpack from the dumpster. They walked and walked until they reached Rhonda's house. Rhonda looked at Arnold and said, "Thanks again for walking me home and double thanks again for stepping in and saving me from those creeps." Arnold replied, "Don't mention it Rhonda. It was the least I could do, being in the right place at the right time and all." As Rhonda started up the steps of her house, she turned around one more time, leaned down and kissed Arnold on the cheek. This made him blush a little as he stammered, "Thanks Rhonda." She replied, "You're welcome. Consider that an extra special thank you." She continued up the steps and Arnold started walking away when she said, "Arnold?" He turned around and she said, "Be safe getting home okay? Maybe you can call or text me when you get there so I know you made it okay?" Arnold smiled and said, "I'd be glad to Rhonda." He turned and continued walking toward home as she went inside her own. He pulled out his music player and continued listening to Elvis Presley as he made his way home.

 _Little did either of them suspect that this one little incident would set off a chain of events that would bring them closer than they'd ever been before._

* * *

 _Chapter Two:_

 _Explaining What Happened_

When Arnold walked inside the boarding house, he heard the sound of piano music. He looked into the living room and saw his grandma Gertie playing some music. Then he heard his grandpa Phil say, "Is that you Arnold?" Arnold replied, "Yeah Grandpa, I'm home." His grandpa came into the hallway and said, "We were getting worried about you Shortman. You missed supper but Pookie and I saved you a plate." Arnold said, "Thanks Grandpa." Phil asked, "So what took you so long in getting home? I thought you were coming home straight from the movies." Arnold said, "I was, until I stumbled onto my friend Rhonda Lloyd being mugged in an alleyway so naturally I had to step in and help her. I remembered what Grandma taught me about the martial arts and managed to subdue those guys. Then Rhonda asked me to walk her home because she was afraid to walk alone after that. That's why I'm so late." Grandpa Phil said, "Mama Leone. I'm sure glad you and your friend weren't hurt or anything." Arnold replied, "Yeah, me too. And speaking of Rhonda, I promised I'd call or text her when I got home, so she'd know I made it safely." He walked over to the phone and started dialing Rhonda's house phone...

Meanwhile, over at the Wellington-Lloyd residence, Rhonda was just telling her parents about the incident too. Her mother Brooke was shocked out of her mind and her father Buckley was astonished as well. Rhonda said, "And that's why I'm so late getting home from the library." Brooke put her arms around her little girl and said, "I cannot believe some hooligans tried to mug my darling daughter. Thank goodness that sweet boy Arnold came around when he did." Buckley replied, "I quite agree my darling. I can't bear the thought of what those creeps might've done to our little girl had he not come along." Rhonda said, "I'm glad he came along too. And I was so grateful to him for saving me that I kissed him on the cheek as a special thank you." Brooke smiled and asked, "Wait, you gave him a kiss? Really?" Rhonda felt herself blushing as she said, "It was just a peck on the cheek mother, nothing more."

That's when they heard the phone ringing. Buckley said, "Now I wonder who that could be." Rhonda said, "It's probably Arnold. I did also ask him to call me when he got home so I'd know he made it safely." Brooke put a finger to her lips and said, "So first you kissed him on the cheek and then you were concerned for his safety too. Sounds like he means a lot to you." Rhonda reached to pick up the phone and said, "It's nothing like that mother. Arnold is just a friend, a very good friend." She picked up the phone and said, "Lloyd residence." She heard a familiar voice say, "Hi Rhonda, it's me Arnold. I just wanted to call and let you know I made it home safely like you asked me to do." Rhonda smiled and said, "Thank you for doing so Arnold. I really appreciate it. In fact I appreciate a lot of what you've done lately. I think I have to find some way to thank you properly." Arnold replied, "Oh I don't think that would be necessary." Rhonda said, "No Arnold I mean it. You saved me tonight and now I must properly thank you somehow." She thought for a minute and asked, "How would you like to sit with me at lunch tomorrow?" Arnold replied, "Okay, that sounds simple enough to me."

Before Rhonda could respond, her parents motioned to her. She said, "Hold that thought Arnold. My parents have something they want to say." She put her hand over the receiver and asked, "What is it my wonderful parents?" Buckley said, "The nice boy came to your rescue and you want to thank him by sitting with him at lunch tomorrow? Come now my darling, surely you can do better than that." Rhonda asked, "Really? What would you suggest?" Brooke smiled and said, "I know what you could do; go out with him on Saturday." Rhonda's eyes widened as she asked, "Go out with him? As in on a date? Mother you can't possibly be serious." Brooke kept smiling as she said, "I'm very serious. Just the other day I heard you and Nadine talking about Arnold and how much you like him. So why not take the opportunity to go out with him and get to know him better? You might just surprise yourself at what you two have in common." Rhonda thought that over for a minute. Sure she liked Arnold enough, but she didn't like him like him. But ever since he got over liking Lila, she'd been secretly paying close attention to him. Plus she'd secretly developed a crush on him since he helped her and Nadine repair their friendship and since he helped her out of her depressed state during the time she and her family were poor. While the idea of them being a couple didn't seem all that likely, she knew it wasn't impossible either. Plus she found herself remembering the opening lyrics to Once is Enough by Elvis Presley, "All you've got it one life. Living once can be rough. But if you live every day all the way, Once is Enough." So she said, "Alright mother, I'll take a chance with Arnold and ask him out." Brooke smiled at her daughter and said, "So go ahead then sweetheart, ask him out."

* * *

 _Chapter Three:_

 _Asking Arnold Out_

Rhonda took her hand off the receiver and asked, "Arnold are you still there?" She heard him say, "Yes Rhonda I'm still here. Is everything okay?" Rhonda replied, "Yes Arnold, everything's fine. My parents were just advising me on what I could do to thank you." Arnold said, "Oh I still don't think you have to really do anything, but if you insist on it, I won't argue with you on the matter." Rhonda smiled and said, "That's a wise choice you're making. And on that note, I have something to ask you. What are you doing this Saturday?" Arnold replied, "This Saturday? I was planning on playing catch with Gerald at Gerald Field for about an hour but other than that I don't have much planned. Why do you ask?" Rhonda took a deep breath and said, "I was wondering if you'd like to spend the day with me, on the town."

Back in the boarding house, Arnold almost dropped the receiver because of what he'd heard. He thought to himself, "Did Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd just ask me out on a date?" He quickly pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He heard Rhonda say, "Arnold? Did you hear what I said old buddy?" Arnold replied, "I'm not sure. Could you repeat what you said one more time?" Rhonda said, "What I asked was, would you like to spend the day with me on the town?" Arnold took a second and asked, "Do you mean like, a date? An actual date between you and me?" She replied, "Yes Arnold, I believe I'm asking you out on a date for Saturday. So what do you say?" Arnold took a minute to think it over. While he'd never thought of Rhonda as anything more than a friend, the idea of going on an actual date with her did intrigue him. So he finally said, "Alright Rhonda, I'll take you up on your offer." Rhonda replied, "Great. So then we'll meet up on Saturday around shall we say, 1:00ish?" Arnold replied, "Sure, that sounds alright to me." But then he had a question, "But does the offer to sit with you at lunch tomorrow still stand as well?" Rhonda replied, "Of course Arnold. I'd be flattered if you were to sit with me at lunch tomorrow. We can discuss our plans for the date then." Arnold said, "Alright. Then I'll see you tomorrow and on Saturday Rhonda." Rhonda replied, "Okay Arnold. See you tomorrow. Have a good rest of the night." Arnold replied, "You do the same. Goodnight Rhonda." She said, "Goodnight Arnold." They both hung up the phones.

Arnold took a deep breath and then let out a sigh. He turned to his grandpa who had a smile across his face. Arnold asked, "What are you smiling about grandpa?" Phil said, "So the girl you rescued wants to take you out on a date huh? You're a very lucky boy Shortman. Heh heh heh." Arnold scoffed and said, "It's just a friendly thank you kind of thing grandpa, nothing more." Grandpa Phil continued giggling and said, "Well if you say so Shortman. Come on now, let's go in the kitchen and fill your empty belly." They both turned and walked into the kitchen.

Back at Rhonda's house, Rhonda let out a contended sigh as well before turning to her parents, who both had smiles on their faces. Rhonda rolled her eyes and said, "I cannot believe what you two got me into just now. I can't believe I actually asked Arnold out on a date, much less the fact that he said yes." Buckley stood up and said, "Now Rhonda my dear, don't go overthinking about it. I for one think you did the right thing in asking him out." Brooke added, "I agree with your father Rhonda. Remember what I was saying; take a chance with Arnold and you might surprise yourself. I happen to think you two would go well together." Rhonda said, "I don't know what to expect, but I don't suppose it would hurt to find out." Then she let out a short yawn and said, "Well mother and father, it's been a long day and night. I think I'll go upstairs and take a hot bath and then go to bed." She hugged both of her parents and headed upstairs.

Back in the boarding house, Arnold had just finished his dinner and was on his way upstairs to his room. He soon changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas. Then he got into bed and set up his alarm clock. As he lied down to go to bed, he started thinking about Rhonda. He began to imagine what their date might entail. He imagined them sitting in his room listening to Elvis Presley music, watching Elvis Presley and Studio Ghibli movies. He decided to suggest that at lunch tomorrow. All he hoped was that they wouldn't do anything too expensive since he could only afford to do so much with his weekly allowance. He soon drifted off to sleep.

Back at Rhonda's house, she too was in her pajamas and getting ready for bed. As she set her alarm and laid down on the pillows, she began to imagine how her date with Arnold would go. She imagined them going out to eat, going bowling, going to the movies and having some ice cream sundaes at Slausen's ice cream parlor. She decided to save all of these thoughts to talk about with him at lunch tomorrow. With that, she turned over on her side and soon drifted off to sleep.

 _As they drifted off to dreamland, little did they know that their very thoughts would come into play the very next day._

* * *

 _Chapter Four:_

 _The Next Morning_

The next morning, Arnold got up, took a short but refreshing shower and went down for breakfast. His grandma Gertie was already serving the eggs and bacon and his grandpa was passing out two pieces of toast to everyone. Arnold walked into the living room and said, "Good morning everybody." Ernie Potts looked at Arnold and said, "Well if it isn't the man of the hour. How you doing Mr. Hero?" Arnold sat down and replied, "I'm not a hero Ernie. I just did the right thing at the right time in the right place." Suzie Kokoshka said, "Well I for one am proud of you Arnold, helping out that girl and all." Oskar Kokoshka said, "Well if you ask me, she should have given you cash as a thank you, being the rich girl that she is." Then Mr. Hyunh chimed in, "I remember when she and her family had to stay here. She was a moody young girl, but still a very nice one. She is good for you Arnold." As Arnold began digging into his eggs, he said, "Please you guys, let's not make a big deal about all of this. It's just gonna be two friends spending the day together, nothing more." Grandma Gertie put some bacon on his plate and said, "Whatever you say Kimba." Then she winked at him. Grandpa Phil said, "Alright now, let's not go teasing Arnold. If he says it's not a big deal, then it's not a big deal." But then he winked at Arnold too. Arnold sighed and continued eating his breakfast.

Meanwhile, at the Wellington-Lloyd residence, Rhonda had just gotten dressed and was coming down to the kitchen. She walked in to see her parents sitting at the table. Her mother was drinking a glass of orange juice and her father had a cup of coffee and the morning paper in front of him. Rhonda said, "Good morning my wonderful parents. What's for breakfast this morning?" Buckley looked up from his paper and said, "Our chef Jose prepared some scrambled eggs and bagels for you darling." Brooke smiled and said, "He also made some very sweet cinnamon toast if you want any." Rhonda replied, "Mm, it all sounds delicious. She opened the fridge and took out the gallon of milk and the container of cream cheese for herself. She quickly poured herself a glass and helped herself to the breakfast spread in front of her. She took out a butter knife from the drawer and began smearing the cream cheese on her bagel. Then she placed the knife in the sink, put the cream cheese and milk back in the fridge and went to sit down with her parents. As she dug into her eggs, Brooke looked at her and asked, "Are you looking forward to your lunch date with Arnold today sweetheart?" Rhonda turned to her and said, "Mother please. Let's not make a big deal out of this again. It's just two friends sitting together at lunch." Buckley looked up from his paper again and asked, "But you are still spending Saturday with him aren't you?" Rhonda took a swig of her milk before replying, "Again it's nothing to make a big deal out of daddy. But if you two must know, I plan on discussing with him what we can do tomorrow at lunch today." Brooke smiled and said, "That's wonderful news sweetheart, just wonderful." And Buckley added, "I'm sure he'll love whatever you suggest." Rhonda smiled at her parents and continued with her breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later, Arnold was getting on the bus that would take him to school. He walked down the aisle past his friends Harold Berman, Stinky Petersen, Sid Gifaldi, Eugene Horowitz, Lorenzo Lopez and Curly Gammelthorpe until he spotted his best friend Gerald Johanssen sitting in the middle. He also spotted Phoebe Heyerdahl, Nadine Robinson, Sheena Jefferson, Lila Sawyer, Patty Smith and Helga G Pataki sitting towards the back. Arnold sat down next to Gerald and said, "Hiya Gerald." Gerald took off his headphones and said, "Good morning good buddy." Then they did their signature handshake. Gerald asked, "What's going on? You have a serious kind of look on your face." Arnold smiled and said, "Man do I have a story to tell you." Gerald replied, "Well go ahead man, I'm all ears." Unbeknownst to them, the other kids turned their attention to Arnold to try and listen in on their conversation.

A few minutes later, the bus pulled up to Rhonda's street. She quickly boarded the bus and started walking towards the back to sit with the girls. She spotted Arnold talking to Gerald but decided not to interrupt their conversation. She knew she'd have the chance to talk to him soon enough. She made her way to the back and sat down next to her best friends Nadine and Lila. She said, "Good morning girls. Well you will not believe what happened to me last night." Nadine looked at her and asked, "Does it have anything to do with Arnold rescuing you from hoodlums?" Rhonda was astonished as she asked, "What? How did you hear about it already?" Lila replied, "We sort of overheard Arnold telling Gerald about it. I'm ever so relieved to know that neither of you were hurt." Rhonda said, "Well I'm glad to know you're all caught up on current events." Phoebe piped up and said, "I must say it was most fortuitous that Arnold came along when he did. Thank goodness for that." Sheena added, "Very fortunate indeed. While I commend Arnold for saving you, I do still abhor the thought of violence." Then Helga added, "You're very lucky Princess. I knew old football-head was a problem solver but I didn't think he had it in him to do something like that." Patty added, "I agree with you Helga, I never did peg Arnold for being the "come to someone's defense" type." Then Nadine asked, "Are you gonna do anything to thank him Rhonda?" Rhonda replied, "As a matter of fact, that's something I'd like to talk to you and Lila about, but not right here and now. Wait till we get to school."

Back up the middle of the bus, Gerald said, "I cannot believe that you of all people came to the defense of someone like Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd, little miss rich and popular. I've said it before and I'll say it again Arnold, you are one bold kid." Arnold replied, "Thanks Gerald. And there's something else I'd like to discuss with you, but not right now. Wait till later at school." At that moment, they were approached by Curly who said, "Say Arnold. I couldn't help overhearing your conversation and I just wanna say, thank you for coming to the aid of my beloved Rhonda last night. I owe you one for that." Arnold said, "That's okay Curly, really. You don't have to do anything for me." Then Sid said, "Boy Howdy Arnold. It must be nice to be a hero." Stinky added, "Whillikers, I've never known a hero before." Arnold sighed and said, "It's really no big deal you guys and I'm not a hero. I was just in the right place at the right time." Then Harold said, "You sure do have a knack for tackling trouble Arnold." And Eugene said, "I agree with Sid and Stinky. It sounds like you're a hero to me… whoops." He slipped out of his seat and onto the floor. "I'm okay." He mumbled. Lorenzo helped Eugene back into his seat and said, "You are a true humanitarian Arnold. Keep up the good work amigo."

That's when the bus arrived at P.S. 118. All of the kids made their way off the bus and into the school building. After putting away their belongings and collecting their books from their lockers, most of the students made their way to their respective classrooms. In Mr. Simmons' class, the whole room was buzzing about what they'd heard on the bus about Arnold and Rhonda. Out in the hallway, Gerald asked Arnold, "So what is it you wanted to tell me in private? Is there more to this between you and Rhonda?" Arnold whispered, "Keep it down Gerald. And yes, there is more to it. She decided to thank me for saving her by having lunch with me today, and not only that, she invited me to spend the day with her tomorrow, like on a date." Gerald's eyes went wide as he said, "Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that miss Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd, the richest and most popular girl in the fourth grade asked you out on a date? Like an actual date?" Arnold replied, "I can't believe it myself, but it's true. I think we're going to discuss it at lunch today." Gerald smiled and said, "Man Arnold, do I ever envy you. First you save Rhonda's life and then she decides to thank you by going on a date with you. You are one lucky kid Arnold." Arnold smiled and said, "Yeah, I guess I am. Come on, let's get to class." They turned and went inside the classroom.

Down the hall in the girl's restroom, Rhonda checked to make sure all the stalls were empty before turning to Nadine and Lila. She said, "Get ready girls because I have something very big to tell you about Arnold." Unknown to them, Phoebe was outside the restroom about to walk in, when she decided to listen in. Nadine asked, "What's the big news about Arnold?" Rhonda replied, "I decided to thank him for saving me by having lunch with him today." Lila smiled and said, "Gosh, that's ever so nice of you to do Rhonda. I'm sure Arnold will appreciate that." Rhonda said, "Wait, there's more to it than that. I also invited him to spend the day with me tomorrow, as in go out on a date with me." Nadine and Lila's eyes went wide, so did Phoebe's from outside the restroom. Nadine asked, "OMG, are you serious?!" Whereas Lila responded, "Gosh, that's even more nice of you to do." Rhonda replied, "To be perfectly honest, it wasn't my idea to begin with. My parents suggested it to me." Nadine said, "Either way, I'm still perplexed about this. Does this mean that you still have feelings for Arnold like we talked about the other day?" Rhonda replied, "I'm not sure what it means Nadine. What I do know is, I have a lot of ideas for what Arnold and I can do tomorrow, and I intend to talk to him about it at lunch today." Lila smiled and said, "I ever so hope that the two of you have a good time on your date tomorrow." That's when the bell rang, signaling that class was about to start. Phoebe quickly headed to class before the other girls could spot her. Rhonda said, "We'll talk more about this later girls." They left the restroom and headed on to their class.

 _In case anyone is wondering, Arnold and Rhonda liking Elvis Presley was my personal touch because I'm a big Elvis Presley fan too. That's one of the many things they will find common ground on during their date._

* * *

 _Chapter Five:_

 _A Lunch Date For Too Many_

Later that day, when lunchtime rolled around, Arnold and Gerald took their seats at their usual table. Arnold reached into his lunch bag and took out his lunch for the day. He had a baloney, chicken and cheddar cheese sandwich, a bag of nacho cheese Doritos, a banana and four chocolate chip cookies. Then Gerald took out his lunch as well. He had a roast beef, pastrami and mozzarella cheese sandwich, a bag of cool ranch Doritos, an apple and four peanut butter cookies. Arnold took one look at Gerald's lunch and said, "Hey I'll give you half of my cookies and half my sandwich for half of yours man." Gerald smiled and said, "You got a deal buddy." So they each took two of the others' cookies and one half of the other's sandwich. Then Gerald got up to get a Yahoo soda from the vending machine. Arnold took some change from his pocket and asked, "Would you mind grabbing me one while you're at it?" He held out his hand to give Gerald the change but Gerald said, "Keep your change man. This one's on me."

While Gerald was getting the sodas, Rhonda spotted Arnold and approached him. Arnold looked up and said, "Hi Rhonda. How nice of you to join me." Rhonda smiled and said, "It's my pleasure good buddy." She took a seat next to him just as Gerald came back. As Gerald handed Arnold his Yahoo soda, Rhonda asked, "Gerald, would you mind if I had a few minutes alone with Arnold? There's something I'd like to discuss with him in private." Gerald replied, "If this is about the date you two have planned, I already know all about it." Rhonda looked at Arnold and asked, "You told him already?" Arnold gave her an apologetic look and said, "He's my best friend Rhonda. We tell each other everything." Rhonda sighed and said, "Fair enough. I know enough about the best friend code to respect it. And I'm just as guilty because I told Nadine and Lila too. Speaking of which, if Gerald wants to listen to our plans, I think it's only fair they be a part of this too."

She looked to Nadine and Lila and waved them to come over. While they walked over, Rhonda took her lunch out of her lunch bag. She had a ham, turkey and Colby-Jack cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomato, a bag of Cheetos, a raspberry Jell-O cup, and some grapes. She also had a diet Yahoo soda from the vending machine. Nadine came up behind her and asked, "Did you want something Rhonda?" She replied, "I just decided you two should join Gerald as Arnold and I discuss our plans for tomorrow." Lila asked, "Gosh, are you sure Rhonda? I'd hate to be in the way of your discussion." Arnold replied, "If she's okay with it, then so am I." So Nadine and Lila both sat down across from Arnold and Gerald. While they dug into their food, Arnold asked, "So what did you have in mind for tomorrow Rhonda? Anything in particular you want to do?" Rhonda smiled at him and said, "Well I was doing a lot of thinking last night while I slept. And I have a few ideas I'd like to lay on the table. For starters, I'd like for us to go out to lunch. There's a new place called The S Shack that I'd like to check out." Gerald looked up from his sandwich and asked, "The S Shack? What kind of joint is that?" Lila replied, "I've heard about that place. It's a diner that serves food starting with the letter S, mainly sandwiches, soups, salads and shakes." Arnold said, "That sounds interesting enough. Did you have anything else in mind Rhonda?" She replied, "I was thinking after lunch, maybe we could go bowling at the bowling alley. I haven't been there since our bowling tournament and I'd like to brush up on my skills." Arnold replied, "Okay, lunch and then bowling. What next?" Rhonda said, "I was thinking maybe we could go to the movies next and then top off our day with some ice cream sundaes at Slausen's. What do you think?" Arnold said, "I think it all sounds great, but can I make one minor suggestion?" Rhonda replied, "By all means Arnold, go ahead. I'd appreciate your input." Arnold said, "Instead of going out to the movies, why don't we go back to my place after bowling and watch some movies there? My grandpa and grandma bought me a TV and a DVD/VCR combo player for my birthday last year." Rhonda thought that over while Arnold added, "It's not that I don't wanna go see a movie with you Rhonda, it's just that going to a movie is too dark and quiet for a place to spend a date. Wouldn't you rather come back to my place where we can watch some movies and talk to each other while we're at it?" Rhonda suddenly smiled and said, "Alright, then we'll do that instead. We can save going to a movie for another day. And besides, I'd hate for either of us to break the bank, even though I'm rich." Arnold smiled back and said, "Then I guess we're all set up for tomorrow then." Gerald said, "It sounds like you guys are gonna have your hands full all day. I really envy you guys." Lila added, "It all sounds like you'll have ever so much fun." Nadine said, "I just hope you don't forget to tell us all about it afterwards Rhonda." Rhonda smiled at Nadine and said, "Don't worry. You and Lila will be kept in the loop about it." Gerald said, "That goes for me too man. Don't forget to keep me in the loop about everything." Arnold smiled at his best friend and said, "Not to worry Gerald. I'll keep you updated on how things go." Then they continued eating lunch together.

A few tables over, Helga was observing Arnold and Rhonda out of the corner of her eyes. Phoebe was sitting next to her. Helga said, "I wonder what Princess and her posse are doing sitting over there with football-head and hair boy." Phoebe looked over with hesitation and said, "I have something to tell you Helga but I don't think you're gonna like it." Helga turned to Phoebe and said, "Well don't beat around the bush Pheebs. Give it to me straight." Phoebe hesitated and said, "Before class started, I was outside the girls room and I overheard Rhonda talking with Nadine and Lila. She told them something about asking Arnold out on a date tomorrow to thank him for saving her and he said yes. She also said it wasn't her idea to begin with but rather her parents' idea." Helga took a second to let it all sink in before saying, "So that's what's going on here. Rhonda's being extra nice to Arnold because he saved her life. And she asked him out on a date per her parents' suggestion huh? That should be interesting." Phoebe was surprised as she asked, "Aren't you going to do anything about it Helga? Aren't you going to interfere with their date the same way you interfered with Arnold and Lila's date at the Cheese Festival?" Helga replied, "That was completely different Pheebs. Unlike he did with Lila, Arnold has no romantic interest in Rhonda whatsoever that I know of and vice versa. And it's not like it will be a real date. She just asked him out because she felt obligated to. She can mess up their date enough without my help." Phoebe said, "Gosh Helga. This isn't like you to not want to keep Ice Cream to yourself." Helga said, "Yeah, well what can I say? Ever since I started seeing Dr. Bliss, my outlook on Arnold has changed a little. And ever since I finally confessed my feelings to him, I've been keeping sort of a low profile. I mean I'm still romantically obsessed with him, but I'm doing it at a better and more stable pace. If he wants to explore his options, I feel it's only fair to stand back and give him the opportunity." Then she grinned and said, "But on the other hand, I don't think it'll hurt to spy on them during their date, just to make sure that nothing develops between them. I'd sure hate for the off-chance that Princess will become my new romantic rival for Arnold's affections." Phoebe looked at her and said, "Now there's the Helga I know."

Back across the room, Arnold, Gerald and the girls were just finishing their lunches. Gerald suddenly had a thought and asked, "Say Arnold, are we still on for playing catch at Gerald Field tomorrow or do we have to cancel that due to your big date with Rhonda?" Arnold replied, "Please lower your voice Gerald. We don't need the whole fourth grade knowing our business right now. It's enough that they know about last night. And yes, we are still on for playing catch tomorrow. My date with Rhonda won't start until 1:00 so you and I will still have our hour together." Gerald smiled and said, "That's all I needed to know buddy." Rhonda thought, "That's right Gerald. You get your hour with Arnold and then I'm taking him for the day." That's when the bell rang to signal the end of their lunch period. They all got up and headed back to class.

 _Another thing I'd like to point out. It was my idea to incorporate real life foods into their world like Doritos, Cheetos and Jell-O and such. I was going to include Pepsi, Sprite and Coca-Cola, but decided to leave them out in favor of the Yahoo soda._

* * *

 _Chapter Six:_

 _Getting Advice From Their Friends_

Later that day after school let out, Gerald went to the boarding house with Arnold to do homework together and have their weekly checkers night. Nadine and Lila went with Rhonda to her house for a three way study date. Secretly, Rhonda and Arnold were hoping to get their friends' advice on what to do, how to act and how to dress on their date tomorrow. Unbeknownst to Arnold and Gerald, Helga followed close behind them. Her plan was to eavesdrop on Arnold and Gerald's conversation from his skylight rooftop. While Arnold and Gerald walked into the boarding house, Helga climbed the fire escape and made her way up to the rooftop.

Meanwhile, over at the Wellington-Lloyd household, Rhonda, Nadine and Lila were up in Rhonda's room making themselves comfortable. Rhonda was sitting on her bed and Nadine and Lila were sitting on the floor. Rhonda took a CD from the shelf and placed it in the CD player. Some music by The Beatles started to play. As they got started on their history homework, there was a knock on the door. Rhonda asked, "Who is it?" A British voice said, "It is I young mistress Lloyd." Rhonda said, "Oh, come on in Dawson." The door opened and a man wearing a butler uniform entered the room with a tray consisting of three Yahoo sodas, a bowl of pretzels and a bowl of Cheetos. He said, "Your mother thought that you and your companions might like some refreshments miss Lloyd." Rhonda said, "Thank you Dawson. Please be kind and set them on the floor here." He placed the tray down in front of Lila and Nadine. Rhonda said, "Thank you Dawson. That will be all for now." Dawson replied, "As you wish miss Lloyd." He turned and left the room, closing the door on his way out. As the girls got back to their homework, Rhonda said, "Girls, before we get started on this, I need your advice and opinions on a few things." Nadine asked, "Is this about your date with Arnold?" Rhonda replied, "Exactly. I need your input about what I should wear on our date. I could also use your advice about what to say and do." Lila said, "Well why don't we raid your closet and find you something nice to wear for starters?" Rhonda replied, "Let's go for it." So they got up and went to Rhonda's big closet to find her something to wear. While they raided her closet, Lila asked, "So Rhonda, how long have you had feelings for Arnold?" Rhonda replied, "I think I first started having feelings for him after he helped bring me and Nadine back together after we had a big fight. And I think those feelings grew after he helped me out of my depressed state when my family and I were poor." Nadine asked, "Are you sure you didn't just ask him out because your parents advised you to? Or are you upset you didn't think to ask him out yourself?" Rhonda placed a shirt in front of her while looking in the mirror and said, "Okay, maybe I'm a little disappointed that I didn't think it up myself. But that's probably because I was trying to deny my feelings for him. Truth be told, I'm secretly hoping that something develops between us, but at it's own pace." Lila asked, "Do you plan on telling him how you feel at all?" Rhonda held another shirt in front of her and replied, "I haven't decided yet. But if I do, I'll probably do it when we're at his house, alone in his room." Then Rhonda said, "I sure hope I didn't give him any ideas about liking him when I kissed him last night." Nadine's eyes went wide as she exclaimed, "You kissed him?! You actually kissed Arnold?" Lila said, "Gosh, that's certainly unexpected." Rhonda replied, "Relax girls. It was an innocent little peck on the cheek. I told him it was an extra special thank you for saving me and walking me home." Nadine sighed and said, "Well if you really want to get things going between you and Arnold, the best thing you can do is just be yourself around him and let things come naturally." Rhonda thought about that and said, "You're right Nadine. The best thing I can do is be myself. In which case, I'll also have to dress as myself. So I guess the closet raiding is done. Let's get back to our homework shall we?" They walked out of the closet and back into the room.

Back at Arnold's house, he and Gerald had finished their homework and were getting started on their checkers game. There was music by Dino Spumoni playing on the stereo. Arnold moved his red piece and asked, "Do you think it's a good idea Gerald, about me and Rhonda going on a date and all that?" Gerald moved his black piece and said, "To be honest Arnold, I'm still trying to process the whole thing. I still find it hard to believe that Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd of all people asked you out on a date. And what's more, I can't tell if she's doing it just to thank you for saving her, or if there's more to it than meets the eye." Arnold moved another piece and asked, "What are you getting at Gerald?" He moved another black piece and said, "What I'm getting at Arnold is this; Has it occurred to you that maybe Rhonda didn't ask you out just to thank you for saving her? That it may be possible that she might actually like you? As in like you like you?" Arnold paused to think long and hard about that. He finally said, "No Gerald, that most certainly did not occur to me. That didn't occur to me at all." Gerald said, "Think about it Arnold. She invited you of all people to her cool party, she danced with you at the school dance, comforted you when you believed Dino Spumoni had died, was disappointed when you partnered up with Helga for geography when she had amnesia, and not to mention she wouldn't have objected to having to kiss you in the school play when she was cast as Juliet. Doesn't any of that tell you anything?" Arnold took a minute to think all of that over. He finally said, "Wow. To think after all this time that Rhonda might actually have feelings for me. I wonder if that's the real reason she kissed me last night." Gerald's eyes went wide as he asked, "She kissed you?! Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd actually kissed you?" Arnold moved another red checker and said, "Calm down Gerald, it was just a little kiss on the cheek. She said it was an extra special thanks for saving her." Then he asked, "How should I go about finding out for sure that she has feelings for me or not?" Gerald picked up a black checkers piece and said, "Before you ask that, I think you should ask yourself this…" He gestured with the black checker piece as he said, "How do _you_ feel about _her?"_ Again, Arnold took a minute to think all of that over. He finally said, "I don't know Gerald. I've known Rhonda for as long as I've known you and most of everybody else. And I've never thought of Rhonda as more than a friend. But now that I know she may have romantic feelings for me, well that just changes everything. Still I need to find a way to know for sure how she feels about me. Maybe at some point tomorrow, I can just come right out and ask her." Gerald moved another black checker and replied, "Whoa Arnold, whoa. First off, you don't know for sure that she has feelings for you or not. I'm just saying it's possible that she does. Secondly, If you wanna know if she really has feelings for you, you gotta take it one step at a time. Pace yourself." Arnold moved a red checker and said, "Thanks Gerald. Do you have any other advice for me? Like what I should do or how I should act? Or maybe even how I should dress?" Gerald moved another black checker and replied, "The best advice I could give you is this; just be yourself around her. And dress as yourself as well." Arnold smiled and said, "Thanks again Gerald." Then he moved another red checkers piece and said, "King me."

Up on the roof of the Sunset Arms, Helga had been listening closely to their conversation, and she didn't like what she heard, especially not the part about Rhonda having kissed Arnold on the cheek. She walked over to the rooftop water tower and said angrily, "Curse that Geraldo for putting ideas about Rhonda into Arnold's head! And curse Princess for kissing my Arnold, even if it was just on the cheek! Now I really have something to worry about! What if Arnold and Princess actually hit it off? What if they develop feelings for each other? What if she does have secret feelings for him? Where will that leave me? I can't possibly compete with Princess." Then she took out her locket with Arnold's picture in it and said, "Oh Arnold my beloved, why must fate come between us once more? Why did I ever pretend that my feelings towards you were just in the heat of the moment? How can I possibly expect to compete with someone perfect like Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd? What if you and her hit it off and decide to become a couple? Wherever will that leave me?" She put the locket back under her shirt and said, "Okay Helga. Get a grip on yourself. Remember what you've discussed with Dr. Bliss. You can still admire Arnold but you have to do it at a stable pace. And you did confess your feelings to him, even if you denied them afterwards. Just because Arnold may now be contemplating feelings for Rhonda, doesn't mean he'll actually have them or act on them. And who's to say that Princess has feelings for him? Nobody, that's who. So all you have to do is stick close to them, watch their date and see how and where things go. I will not let them out of my sight. If something is to develop between them, just talk to Dr. Bliss about it at your next appointment." It was then that she noticed that it was beginning to get dark. She realized that she had to get home before her parents noticed her missing, if they noticed her at all. She quickly walked to the edge of the roof and started climbing down the fire escape ladder, but not before taking one more look into the window at her beloved Arnold. Then she finished climbing the rest of the way down and headed for home.

* * *

 _Chapter Seven:_

 _A Pre-Date Conversation_

Shortly after Gerald, Nadine and Lila went home for the night, Rhonda and Arnold both lied down on their respective beds. They both started to think about what tomorrow would entail. Rhonda imagined Arnold holding her by the waist and helping her bowl, while Arnold imagined them sitting in his room watching movies together with Rhonda resting her head on his lap. Then they both imagined themselves having lunch together at the S Shack. Finally they imagined themselves sitting at Slausen's together sharing some ice cream sundaes.

Rhonda looked at her mobile phone resting on her bed and thought to herself, "Should I give him a call or shoot him a text right now? No, maybe I shouldn't, he's probably getting ready for bed anyway." But before she could ponder the thought any further, her phone began to buzz. She looked at it and saw two messages, one from Nadine and one from Arnold. She smiled and unlocked her phone. Nadine's message read, "Hi Rhonda. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck tomorrow on your date with Arnold. I hope you get to tell him how you really feel about him." Rhonda typed out a response which said, "Thanks Nadine. I'm gonna need all the luck I can get with him tomorrow." She hit send and then looked at the message from Arnold. It read, "Hi Rhonda. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I just wanted to let you know I'm really looking forward to our date tomorrow. I just know we'll have a good time. :)" She smiled and began typing in a response.

In Arnold's room, there was some music from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons playing on his stereo. He looked at his phone, waiting for Rhonda to respond to his message. While he waited, he got another message, from Lila. He looked at it, which read, "Hi Arnold. I ever so hope that you and Rhonda have an ever so wonderful time on your date tomorrow. Do me a favor okay? Take care of her. She's a real keeper." He quickly responded back saying, "Thanks Lila, and don't worry, I'll take really good care of her tomorrow." That's when he received a response from Rhonda. It read, "Hi Arnold. No you're not interrupting anything. I was just messaging with Nadine. I'm really looking forward to our date tomorrow as well. I promise it'll be one of the best dates you've ever been on. :)" Arnold smiled and began typing one more time. He said, "Well I think I'm gonna hit the hay soon, so I'll see you tomorrow at 1:00. Goodnight Rhonda. :)"

Rhonda read the message and sent one more text to Arnold. It read, "Alright, I'm gonna hit the hay soon too. See you tomorrow at 1:00. Goodnight Arnold. :)" And with that, the two soon began getting ready for bed. Rhonda changed into her purple nightgown while Arnold changed into his blue pajamas. They both climbed into their respective beds, pulled up the covers and lied down on their pillows. They soon closed their eyes and fell asleep.

 _Again, the kids having access to modern day technology like DVD players and smart phones was my own personal touch. But there will be plenty of nostalgic stuff thrown into the story as well. Just wait and see what I mean._

* * *

 _Chapter Eight:_

 _Pre-Date Parental Consult_

The next morning, Arnold woke up at 9:00. He was feeling pretty peppy because he knew he had a big day ahead of him. First he was going to play catch with Gerald and then he was going to go on his big date with Rhonda. He was nervous and excited at the same time. One might even go as far as to say he was nervicited. He went down and made himself a bowl of Sugar Chunks cereal for breakfast. While he was enjoying his cereal, his phone began vibrating. He looked at it and saw he had a message from Rhonda. He unlocked his phone and the message read, "Good Morning my dear friend Arnold. I was thinking we could meet at Gerald Field to begin our date. Would that be alright?" He quickly typed out a response which read, "That sounds perfect. I'm playing catch with Gerald at 11:00. Then I'll get ready for our date." He pressed send and the message went out. Then he helped himself to some more Sugar Chunks cereal.

Over at Rhonda's house, she was just coming down to join her parents for breakfast. Brooke was pouring herself a glass of orange juice while Buckley was pouring some creamer in his coffee. Buckley asked, "Did the morning paper arrive yet my darling?" Brooke replied, "Yes it did my love. Dawson brought it in and set it on the table for you." That's when Rhonda walked in and said, "Good morning my wonderful parents." Buckley turned around and said, "Ah, there's our little girl coming to join us." Brooke smiled and said, "Well, today's the big day my darling. I hope you're as excited for it as we are." Rhonda picked up an empty glass and said, "If there's such a way of being nervous and excited at the same time, that's how I'm feeling right now." Brooke said, "I believe the kids call that term as being nervicited Rhonda." Rhonda finished pouring herself some apple juice and said, "Nervicited. I like that. And that's exactly how I'm feeling right now." Buckley said, "Now princess, there's really nothing to be nervous about. You should be more excited than nervous." Brooke added, "Your father's right Rhonda. You're going on a date with a nice and sweet boy." Brooke finished her orange juice and asked, "What time are you meeting up with him honey?" Rhonda took a swig of apple juice and said, "I'm meeting him at Gerald Field at 1:00." Buckley sipped his coffee and asked, "And what may I ask is on your agenda for today?" Rhonda replied, "If you must know daddy, we're gonna start by going out to lunch. Then we have plans to go bowling. After that we're going to his place to watch some movies and finally we'll top off our day with some sundaes at Slausen's." Buckley said, "It sounds to me like you have a fun day planned out." Brooke said, "So you and Arnold are going to watch movies at his place huh? I suppose you'll be up in his room with him watching them? Then I suppose you'll be staying there for dinner as well?" Rhonda replied, "I hadn't thought that far ahead mother but I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility." Brooke winked at her daughter while Buckley said, "Come now my darlings, let's sit down and have breakfast." They turned and walked into the dining room together.

Back at the Sunset Arms, Arnold had finished his breakfast and was upstairs checking over his homework. Music by Elvis Presley was playing on his stereo. After making sure all his homework was done, he pressed the button on his remote control, bringing his couch out from the wall. He decided to pass the time by watching TV until it was time to play catch with Gerald. It was only 9:45, so he still had an hour and fifteen minutes to wait. He walked up to one of his shelves to look for a good movie to watch. He eventually settled on The Sandlot. He took the DVD out of its case and put it in the DVD player. Moments after he pressed play, his grandfather walked in. Phil said, "Good morning Shortman. I see you're up pretty early." Arnold replied, "Well I do have a pretty big day ahead of me grandpa." Phil sat down next to him and said, "Oh that's right. Today's your big day to spend with Rhonda isn't it? I bet you're really looking forward to it too." Arnold replied, "To tell the truth grandpa, I'm more nervous than excited. I haven't been on a date since I asked Lila out to the cheese festival, and that time I asked her out. This time a girl asked me out, and not just any girl, but a girl I've known my whole life since preschool." Phil put an arm around his grandson and said, "I know how you feel Shortman. I went through a similar situation when I was about your age, minus the saving the girl from danger part." Arnold asked, "Really? How did that go?" Phil smiled and replied, "Well it turned out to be one of the funnest days of my life. We spent the day together at a carnival. We played games, rode the rides and enjoyed some tasty food. By the end of the night, we parted ways on very excellent terms." Arnold smiled and said, "Thanks for the pep talk grandpa. I really needed it." Phil got up and said, "Don't mention it Shortman. If you need me I'll be right downstairs." He turned and left the room, leaving Arnold to watch the movie.

 _The Sandlot was and remains to this day one of the best baseball and kids movies ever made. I had to put it in the story somewhere. I also plan on mentioning another good baseball movie at some point._

* * *

 _Chapter Nine:_

 _Catch and Advice with Gerald_

Finally it was 10 minutes to 11:00. Arnold was putting the movie away when he received a text from Gerald. It read, "Hey Buddy. I'm walking over to Gerald Field right now. I'll see you in a few." Arnold texted him back and said, "Okay Gerald. See you in a few minutes." Then he went to his closet to look for his baseball and mitt. A few minutes later, he was heading downstairs and out the door. He walked across the street to Gerald Field and waited on the bench for Gerald to arrive.

Five minutes later, Gerald turned up and said, "Hey Arnold, my main man." Arnold stood up and tossed the baseball to Gerald, who caught it with ease. He said, "Alright Arnold, let's get this catching game underway." For the first few minutes they tossed the ball back and forth without saying too much. Finally when Arnold missed a catch, Gerald asked, "You alright buddy? You seem distracted." Arnold picked up the ball and replied, "Yeah I'm alright Gerald. I guess I was just thinking about my date with Rhonda." He tossed the ball back to Gerald who said, "Mm-hmm, I thought that might be the case." Then Gerald asked, "You wanna talk about it?" Arnold nodded and said, "Yeah. There's a lot on my mind."

So they sat down on the bench and Gerald said, "Tell me what's bugging you man." Arnold replied, "I can't stop thinking about all that stuff you said last night, about how you think Rhonda may be harboring feelings for me and all that jazz." Gerald said, "Yeah I guess I didn't really help the cause by saying all of that did I? I'm sorry dude." Arnold said, "It's okay. But I can't help but wonder now. Are there any signs I should look for during our date? Or even signs that'll tell me we're even on a date?" Gerald smiled and replied, "Now this is something I can definitely help you with. There are three signs that'll tell you whether you're on an actual date or not; One, if she lets you pay for everything, then it's definitely a date. Two, if she lets you hold her hand at any given time, then it's definitely a date. And three, if she tries to cozy up to you at any point, like say she rests her head on your shoulder or puts her head on your lap, then brother you are definitely on a date." Arnold said, "Thanks Gerald. Do you have any other last minute advice you can offer me before I go on this date?" Gerald shook his head and said, "I don't have anything more to tell you that I didn't already tell you last night. But I do wanna emphasize one thing; just remember to be yourself and she'll respond to it." Arnold smiled and said, "Thanks again for the advice Gerald. You really are a pal." Gerald replied, "Think nothing of it buddy. And remember, if you need any last minute advice or tips, I'm just a text message away." Arnold said, "I'll remember that. Now come on, let's get back to catching and throwing." They did their signature handshake again, then got up and walked to the first base line. They spent the rest of the hour tossing the ball back and forth.

* * *

 _Chapter Ten:_

 _Motherly Advice_

At 12:00, Gerald and Arnold bidded each other farewell and headed to their respective homes. As soon as Arnold put away his ball and mitt, he went downstairs to start getting ready. He went into the bathroom and started the shower. He was in and out in only 15 minutes. Then he proceeded to put on some deodorant and blow-dry his hair. Finally he decided to brush his teeth and rinse his mouth out with mouthwash. Then he put on some clean clothes and went back up to his room to wait to hear from Rhonda. Then he decided to play a game on his Game Boy Advance while he waited to hear from her.

At the same time, Rhonda was getting herself ready as well. She had already taken a shower and was drying off. She too had put on some deodorant and decided to go the extra mile and sprayed herself with some perfume. Then she also brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth with mouthwash. She was now in her room getting dressed when her mother knocked at the door. Rhonda asked, "Who is it?" Brooke replied, "It's me sweetheart. Are you decent? May I come in?" Rhonda pulled her shirt on and said, "Yes mother, come on in." Brooke walked in and said, "You look wonderful sweetheart. Now why don't you let me brush your hair and make it look presentable?" Rhonda replied, "Okay mother." So they went to Rhonda's vanity chest where she sat down and faced the mirror while her mother picked up the hairbrush and began brushing Rhonda's hair. While she was brushing Rhonda's hair, Brooke noticed a look of uncertainty on her daughter's face. So she asked, "Is something troubling you Rhonda dear?" Rhonda replied, "Mother, do you think I'm doing the right thing? Going out with Arnold and such? I feel kind of, what's the word, obligated to do it." Brooke smiled and said, "Well honey, in a sense you are doing it out of obligation. You're doing it to thank him for saving you, but I personally think that in a sense, you're more doing it for yourself. I know you've developed a crush on Arnold over time and I've known about it for quite a while." Rhonda replied, "Well I can't deny what you're saying mother so I won't even try to." Then she asked, "Mother, do you think I should confess my feelings to him today?" Brooke replied, "I can't help you with that honey. That would be entirely up to you. Only you can decide when and if you tell Arnold how you feel about him." Rhonda said, "I know, and that's what's scaring me and driving me crazy. Suppose I tell him and he doesn't feel the same way? Then what? It could seriously effect our friendship forever, and not in a good way." Brooke finished brushing Rhonda's hair and turned her chair around to face her. Then she said, "Sweetheart, you have got to be brave if you really want your relationship with Arnold to go anywhere. You have to be willing to take a risk. That's what we Lloyds do, we're risk takers and go getters. So be brave and strong and say what's in your heart when you feel the time is right." Then she leaned down and kissed Rhonda on the forehead. Rhonda smiled and said, "Thank you mother. And you're absolutely right. I will keep that in mind during my date with Arnold." Then she got up and picked her phone up off the bed. It read 12:30, which meant she still had half an hour to go before meeting up with Arnold. She decided to text him when she was on her way to Gerald Field. Then she turned to her mom and asked, "Mother, do you think I should wear something different or wear some makeup on my date with Arnold?" Brooke smiled and said, "No Sweetheart. I think you look just perfect the way that you are." Rhonda turned to look at herself in the mirror and said, "You're absolutely right mother. I couldn't look more perfect if I tried to." Brooke said, "I just know that Arnold is going to love what he sees." Then Brooke left the room, leaving Rhonda to finish getting herself ready for the big date.

 _And here we go everybody, the big date is about to begin. Will sparks fly between Arnold and Rhonda? Will Helga interfere with their potential romance? Will Curly get involved somehow? Read on to find out._

* * *

 _Chapter Eleven:_

 _The Date Begins_

Finally it was 12:50. Arnold put away his GBA and walked downstairs into the living room. His grandparents and the boarders were all watching a game show on television. Arnold said, "Grandma, grandpa, I'm about to go meet with Rhonda. We should be back here in a few hours." Phil said, "Alright Arnold, you two have fun now." Gertie said, "You be a good boy to her Kimba." The other boarders all said things like, "Have a good time." "Be on your best behavior." And "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Arnold turned and walked outside. He walked across the street to Gerald Field and sat down on the bench.

Ten minutes later, Rhonda came walking up the street to Gerald Field. She spotted Arnold sitting on the bench and smiled. She walked up to him and said, "Hello handsome." Arnold looked up and said, "Hi Rhonda." He got up and said, "You look very nice." Rhonda replied, "Thank you. And you don't look so bad yourself." Arnold asked, "Shall we get going?" Rhonda answered, "Yes, let's get this date underway." As they started walking down the street, Arnold asked, "How far away is this new diner that we're going to?" Rhonda replied, "The S Shack? It's not that far. It's right down the block on Vine and 33rd. We'll be there in five minutes tops." Arnold said, "Oh good, because I don't know about you but I'm positively starving." Rhonda said, "So am I. I had a very light breakfast." Little did the two of them suspect that they were being followed by Helga. She'd watched them leave the ball field and was tailing them the entire way.

As they continued walking towards the restaurant, Arnold remembered what Gerald said about paying for things on the date so he asked, "Say Rhonda? I was just wondering, what's the game plan for everything money related? I mean are you paying for everything, am I paying or are we both paying?" Rhonda replied, "Well Arnold, I am the one taking you out on a date today so I believe I'll be the one paying for everything." Arnold thought about that and asked, "Are you sure about that? I'd hate to burden you by making you pay for everything. I have about $30 on me so I feel like I should at least chip in for something today." Rhonda smiled and said, "That's one of the many things I love about you Arnold, that you're always so thoughtful and considerate of others. So I'll make a deal with you; Why don't we both pay for lunch, then I'll pay for bowling, and then you can pay for Slausen's at the end of the day?" Arnold thought that over and said, "Okay, that sounds like a plan to me." Rhonda replied, "Then there you have it, it's settled." That's when they came to a stop as Rhonda said, "Oh look, we're already here." Arnold looked to his right to see that sure enough, they were right outside The S Shack. He looked inside to see that there were at least four or five people inside. He said, "It looks like a quaint little spot to me." He looked up at the marquee, which read, "The S Shack. Sandwiches, salads, soups and shakes galore. If good fun and food are what you seek, then you need not look anymore." Rhonda asked, "Shall we go in Arnold?" Arnold said, "Yes, let's go for it." Arnold opened the door and they both walked inside.

* * *

 _Chapter Twelve:_

 _Lunch at The S Shack_

They walked up to the counter and saw a man who appeared to be in his early to late twenties standing behind it. The man said, "Welcome to The S Shack children. My name is Sam Perkins and I am the owner and manager of The S Shack. What can I get for you today?" Arnold said, "Hello Sam, my name is Arnold and this is my friend Rhonda. We've come here today to try out your establishment." Sam said, "Excellent. We've been open for business for three days now and not too many people know we're here. I'm always glad to welcome some potential new customers." Then he asked, "What would you like to try today?" Arnold asked, "Well what would you recommend Sam?" Sam replied, "Well I would say it depends on what you're in the mood for. If you're in the mood for some nice hot soup, our soups of the day are Chicken Florentine and French Onion Soup. If you're in the mood for a good hearty salad, our salads of the day are Chicken Caesar Salad or Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. If you're in the mood for some hearty sandwiches, I'd recommend the Smoked Brisket, Tender Pork Belly, or Turkey and Bacon Supreme sandwich. We also have a special today on gyros, you can get two for $4, or for $2 more, you can make them a meal with curly fries and a beverage." Arnold took a minute to think that over and finally said, "That $6 gyro meal deal sounds good to me. I think I'll have that." Sam smiled and said, "An excellent choice Arnold. Would you like them to be beef or chicken gyros?" Arnold asked, "Could I possibly have one of each? Mix and match a little?" Sam replied, "Absolutely. That won't be a problem at all." Then he turned to Rhonda and asked, "And what will you be having Miss Rhonda?" Rhonda who had been looking over the menu the whole time said, "I'm curious about the soup-er sandwich combo. What does that include?" Sam smiled and replied, "Well that includes your choice of soup and your choice of sandwich and a beverage. It's only $7.49." Rhonda said, "I think I'll go with that. I'll have the Chicken Florentine soup and the turkey and bacon supreme sandwich." Sam typed in their orders and said, "Excellent choices my dear friends. I'll have Tony and Johnny get started on your meals. Your order number is 21. Will this order be on separate checks?" Arnold replied, "No Sam, we're paying for lunch together." Both he and Rhonda then handed Sam a $10 bill. He placed the money in the register and handed them their change. Then he reached under the counter and handed each of them a soda cup. Rhonda looked to Arnold and asked, "Why don't I find us a place to sit and you go ahead and fill our soda cups?" Arnold took the cups and said, "Alright, what would you like?" Rhonda said, "I'll take a diet Yahoo." So Rhonda went to find them a booth while Arnold went up to the soda machines.

While Arnold was getting their drinks and Rhonda was finding them a place to sit, Helga managed to slip into the restaurant unnoticed. She spotted Rhonda sitting in a booth by the window. So she sat in another booth two spots over so she could listen to their conversation. By now, Arnold had filled up their soda cups and was making his way to their booth. He handed Rhonda her cup and sat down. Rhonda looked around and said, "This is a really nice looking place Arnold. I'm glad we decided to check it out." Arnold took a swig of his Yahoo soda and replied, "I agree Rhonda. This joint is very, what's the word, Art Deco isn't it?" Rhonda said, "I agree to that too. We should make this place our hangout spot with our friends." Before Arnold could respond, he heard a voice on the loudspeaker say, "Order number 21, your food is ready. Number 21, your food is ready." Arnold said, "Hey that's us. I'll be right back." He got up from the booth and went up to the pickup counter. He took the tray with their food and walked over to where the napkins and utensils were. He grabbed a handful of napkins and a spoon for Rhonda's soup. Then he made his way back to their booth. He passed Rhonda her sandwich and soup and sat back down. Before he could begin eating, Rhonda held up her cup and said, "Before we dig into our food, I'd like to make a small toast." Arnold held up his cup and Rhonda said, "Here is to two really good close friends having a fun filled day together." Arnold replied, "To us." And they touched their cups together and took a swig of their sodas.

Across the room, Helga was observing them and said out loud to herself, "Okay, no signs of hidden feelings coming out so far. But it's only the lunch portion of their date. They still have other things they're gonna do I'm sure." Then she said to herself, "I wonder how Curly would feel if he knew his precious Rhonda was out canoodling with old football head. He'd probably fall to pieces." Then she got an idea. She took out her phone and decided to text Curly, hoping to get him involved somehow. She typed out a message which read, "Yo Curly. This is Helga Pataki speaking. What would you say or do if I told you that your precious Rhonda is hanging out with Arnold at this very minute?" She pressed send and the message went out. A minute later she got a response saying, "That all depends on what you mean by them "hanging out". Are you saying they're on a date of some kind?" Helga typed back a response saying, "You might say that yes. Rhonda's parents persuaded her to ask Arnold out on a date in order to thank him for saving her life the other night. Right now they're having lunch at this joint called The S Shack." She pressed send and the message went out again. Another minute later, she got another response from Curly saying, "Well if she's only out with him because of her parents' influence, then I see no cause for alarm. I'd just as soon let them hang out and get their pity date over with. And quick question Helga. Why does it matter to you what they're doing? Do you have some kind of crush on Arnold or something?" Helga gasped in shock. What was she to say now? How could she respond to him without revealing her biggest darkest secret in the process? She thought long and hard about it and decided she had no choice. She would have to let him in on her secret, just like she'd done with Phoebe, Lila and Dr. Bliss. So she typed out one more response saying, "If you really must know Gammelthorpe, I in point of fact do have feelings for Arnold. I'm in love with him and I don't want there to be a risk of Rhonda coming between me and him. That's why I'm spying on them, to see what they do and if they do anything. And if you want to salvage what little connection you have with Rhonda, you'd be doing the same thing." She took a deep breath and hit send again. Curly responded with, "I knew it. I knew there was a reason why you're always picking on Arnold and calling him names and such. It's because you love him. Well I say you keep on spying on them and see what happens. If there's even the slightest inkling that they develop feelings for each other, let me know and we'll figure something out together, my partner in crime." Helga typed out one more message which said, "I'll do that. And you have to promise not to tell anyone my secret. If you do, you'll have to deal with Old Betsy and the Five Avengers. I mean it." She sent the message and pocketed her phone and went back to listening to Arnold and Rhonda's conversation.

The first few minutes between them had been spent mostly in silence. There was only the sound of chewing, swallowing, and occasional guzzling. At one point, Arnold offered her some of his curly fries, which she accepted. Finally Arnold asked, "How's your food treating you there Rhonda?" Rhonda smiled and said, "Oh it's absolutely delicious. The chicken Florentine soup is especially tasty. And the sandwich is positively delectable." Then she asked, "How's your lunch treating you?" Arnold replied, "Well the beef gyro and the curly fries are pretty filling. I'm not sure I'll be able to eat the chicken gyro right away. I may have to ask for a to go container for that one." At that moment, Sam came up to their table and asked, "Well Arnold and Rhonda, how is your lunch treating you?" Rhonda replied, "It's absolutely delicious Sam. The soup and sandwich were both really tasty." And Arnold said, "The food is great. But I think I'm gonna need a to go container for my second gyro. The first one and the fries really filled me up." Sam smiled and said, "Not a problem. I'll be glad to bring you a to go container for your second gyro." Then he turned and walked back towards the kitchen. Arnold turned to Rhonda and noticed that both her soup bowl and sandwich tray were empty, so he asked, "Are you ready to go on to the next activity Rhonda?" Rhonda smiled and replied, "Am I ever. But first let me go use the ladies room first and then we can go." She got up from the booth and made her way to the restroom.

As soon as she walked into the restroom, she pulled out her phone and sent a group text message to Nadine and Lila. The message said, "Hey girls. We just finished lunch and are about to head to the bowling alley. So far this date is going great. I'm having fun with Arnold." She pressed send and the message went out. A minute later, she received a response from both of them. Nadine's message said, "That's great news Rhonda. Keep us posted throughout the day okay?" Lila's message said, "That's ever so wonderful to hear Rhonda. I'm glad you and Arnold are having fun." Rhonda typed out another message that said, "I'll let you girls know how everything's going before we leave the bowling alley. I think we're gonna play at least one game." Then she went into the stall to take care of business.

Back out in the booth, Arnold had just put the second gyro in the to go container when he received a message from Gerald. It read, "Hey Buddy. How's the date going so far? Did she make you pay for anything or let you hold her hand yet?" Arnold began typing a response that said, "Hey Gerald. The date's going good so far. We just finished eating and are about to head to the bowling alley. No, she isn't making me pay for everything. We both paid for lunch and she's paying for bowling. Then I'm gonna pay for our sundaes at Slausen's. And no, she didn't let me hold her hand yet or anything. But that's not to say that she might try to hold mine or something when we're at the bowling alley." He pressed send as he noticed Rhonda coming back. He put his phone in his pocket. Rhonda asked, "Are you ready to go?" Arnold got out of the booth, picked up the container and said, "Yeah, let's get going." They walked out of the restaurant, with Helga trailing just behind them.

* * *

 _Chapter Thirteen:_

 _Fun at the Bowling Alley_

When they got to the bowling alley, it was 2:15. Rhonda paid for one game and then rented them some shoes. As they made their way to their lane, Helga decided to watch them from a few rows down. Rhonda decided to roll first and Arnold went second. Rhonda said, "I haven't been here since our tournament with Coach Wittenberg. I hope I'm not too rusty with my bowling skills." She walked up to her lane, took three steps and let the ball roll. It rolled straight down the lane and knocked over six pins. Arnold said, "Not a bad start for someone who says she's rusty at bowling." She smiled and waited for her ball to return. When it did, she picked it up and made the same approach. She dropped it and let it roll. The ball rolled and knocked down the remaining four pins. Arnold watched and said, "Hey, way to pick up the spare." He held up his hand for a high five, which Rhonda gladly returned. Then Arnold got up to take his turn. He picked up the ball, took three steps and let the ball roll. It rolled straight down the middle and knocked down all ten pins. Rhonda said, "Way to roll a strike Arnold. Good going buddy." She held up her hand for a high five, which he returned. For the next five or six frames, they bowled pretty well for a couple of rusty skilled kids.

A few rows over, Helga was watching them while enjoying a hot dog and fries she'd purchased from the snack bar. She didn't wanna keep watching them on an empty stomach, plus the smell of the food from the S Shack had made her very hungry. As she was watching them, she received a text message from Phoebe. She looked at it, which read, "Hi Helga. How's Operation Spygirl going for you? Anything to report?" Helga typed back a message that said, "Hey Pheebs. The operation is going pretty bland so far. So far all they've done is eat and bowl. They show no signs of feelings for each other… yet. But get this, I messaged Curly hoping to get him involved, but he says he sees no potential threat since it wasn't Rhonda's idea to do this in the first place. And I kind of had to confess to him about my deepest darkest secret. But I made him promise not to tell anyone. I'll let you know when or if there's anything to report." Helga pocketed her phone and went back to observing Arnold and Rhonda.

By now, Arnold and Rhonda were onto the ninth frame, so they were about to finish bowling. Arnold had a score of 115 while Rhonda had a score of 105. Rhonda was taking her turn. She took three steps and let the ball roll. It rolled straight down the lane, knocking down seven of the pins. Arnold was observing her and asked, "Are you 100% sure you haven't been bowling in your free time since the tournament Rhonda?" Rhonda decided to play coy and said, "Well maybe I have spent a little bit of time bowling in my spare time." She picked up her ball and said, "Speaking of spares, watch me make this one." She took three steps up the lane and let the ball roll again. It rolled again down the lane and knocked down the remaining three pins. Arnold smiled and said, "You're on a real roll Rhonda, no pun intended." Rhonda high fived him and said, "You're not doing so bad yourself Arnold. You've been rolling a strike almost every other frame. And you even rolled a double strike in the last two frames." Arnold got up to take his turn and said, "Oh it's all in knowing how." He picked up his ball and let it roll. It rolled down the lane and knocked down nine of the pins. He turned to Rhonda and said, "I've still got the touch." When his ball returned, he picked it up and let it roll again. It rolled and rolled until it knocked down the remaining pin, giving him the spare. Rhonda said, "Way to go Arnold." They high-fived each other and Rhonda got up to take her last turn. She picked up the ball, and let it roll. It rolled and rolled down the lane and ended up knocking down all ten pins. Rhonda felt herself leaping for joy as she turned to face Arnold and said, "Alright! I got a strike in the 10th frame. That means I get to roll two more times."

As she waited for the ball to come back, they both heard a familiar voice say, "Arnold and Rhonda. Hola _mi amigos_." They both turned to see their friends Lorenzo, Eugene, Harold, Sid and Stinky coming up to the adjacent lane. Arnold said, "Hey you guys. What brings you all here on a Saturday?" Harold replied, "We all got together and decided to have a Boys Day of Bowling." Stinky asked, "And what may I ask brings y'all two to the bowling alley on this fine Saturday?" Rhonda and Arnold looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Sid said, "Boy Howdy, don't tell us you two are on some kind of date or something." Arnold said, "Well we're not exactly on a date per se." Rhonda chimed in and said, "Actually, I'm spending the day with Arnold as a way of thanking him for saving me the other night. I treated him to lunch and to a game of bowling." Eugene said, "Gee, that's awfully nice of you to do Rhonda." Then Lorenzo asked, "So what do you two have planned next or is this as far as things go?" Rhonda replied, "If you boys must know, we're planning to go to Arnold's place and watch a few movies for a while." Harold said, "Ooh, sounds really romantic to me." Then he made some kissy faces at Arnold and Rhonda. Arnold said, "Knock it off Harold. It's nothing like that. Like Rhonda said, we're not really on a date or anything." Rhonda said, "Yeah Harold, that's really immature of you." Harold said, "Aw whatever." and began typing everyone's names on the screen.

Choosing to ignore the heckling, Rhonda picked up her ball and decided to finish her turn. She rolled the ball straight down the lane and it knocked down six pins. Arnold said, "Great job Rhonda. Now let's see if you can pick up the spare." The ball came back and Rhonda picked it up. She took three steps and dropped the ball, which rolled down the lane and knocked down the remaining four pins. The spare brought her final score up to 138. Arnold stood up to congratulate her, but instead of high-fiving him, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him for at least 30 seconds. But then she opened her eyes and realized what she was doing so she let go of him and they both looked away from each other. They heard Stinky say, "Whillikers. Rhonda just up and gave Arnold a hug." Sid asked, "Are you double sure you guys aren't here on a date?" Arnold replied, "Positive. Now if you all will excuse me, I have to take my last turn." He picked up his ball and let it roll straight down the lane. It ended up knocking down all the pins, which gave him another strike. Rhonda said, "You really are on a roll good buddy." Then the ball came back and Arnold picked it up. He took three steps and let it drop. The ball rolled and knocked down seven pins. Arnold blew on his palm to dry off any sweat. The ball came back one last time and Arnold picked it up. With Rhonda and the boys watching, Arnold carefully took three steps and let the ball roll again. It rolled down the lane and knocked down the remaining three pins. Arnold raised his arms in triumph as he walked back towards Rhonda. He looked at his final score, which read 159. Rhonda held out her hand and said, "Way to go Arnold. You did great." Arnold shook her hand and said, "You did pretty well yourself Rhonda." Then they began to change their shoes. After doing that, they looked over at the boys and Arnold said, "Well you guys have a fun time with your boys day. Me and Rhonda have places to go and things to do." Rhonda added, "That's right. We've got movies to watch and some ice cream to get later at Slausen's." Eugene said, "Alright you guys. You all take care now." And Lorenzo said, "Enjoy the rest of your day together." Arnold and Rhonda returned their bowling shoes to the counter and left. Helga followed close behind them, making sure the boys didn't spot her on the way out.

 _In this next chapter, Arnold and Rhonda will find lots of common ground about certain things like Elvis Presley, Studio Ghibli, The Beatles and several other things. How will it pan out? Will Rhonda take her mother's advice and confess how she feels about Arnold? How will he react? How will Helga take it?_

* * *

 _Chapter Fourteen:_

 _Finding Common Ground_

When Arnold and Rhonda arrived at the Sunset Arms boarding house, it was 3:10. They walked inside trying to be discreet, but they heard Arnold's grandfather say from the living room, "Is that you Arnold? You're back already from your date?" Arnold replied, "Yes Grandpa, it's me. And actually it's still going on. I've brought Rhonda with me." His grandpa came into the hallway and said, "Well hello Rhonda. It's nice to see you again young lady. Haven't seen you around here since you and your family lived with us." Rhonda shook his hand and said, "It's nice to see you again too Mr. Shortman." Phil replied, "Oh no need to be so formal Rhonda. Call me Phil." Arnold was surprised as he said, "Grandpa, I've never known you to let anyone call you by your first name. Not even any of the boarders call you that. The few times I heard Gerald call you by it, you told him to stop." Phil smiled and said, "Well times have changed and things are different now Shortman." Then he asked, "So how has your date been so far? What're you up to now?" Rhonda replied, "It's been going good so far. We had lunch and went bowling." Arnold said, "And now we're here to watch a few movies together and then later, we're going to Slausen's for some sundaes." Phil chuckled and said, "Well it sounds like you two are having a full day's worth of fun on this date of yours." Then he looked at Rhonda and asked, "Rhonda, can I presume that you'll be staying for dinner as well?" Rhonda replied, "Oh I wouldn't dream of imposing or anything..." But then she asked, "But just out of curiosity, what are you planning to have?" Phil smiled again and said, "Pookie's making one of her specialties, three cheese lasagna and garlic bread." Rhonda licked her lips and said, "I'll impose for a plate of lasagna and garlic bread." Phil said, "Terrific. I'll make sure to set an extra place at the table for you at dinnertime." Rhonda smiled and said, "I appreciate your hospitality Mr. Shortman, I mean Phil." Arnold smiled too and said, "And on that note, we'll be going up to my room now." Phil said, "Alright you two, have fun. There's plenty of snacks in the kitchen if you want anything." With that, Phil went back to the living room and Arnold and Rhonda went upstairs to his room. Little did they know that Helga had made her way to the rooftop and was now opening one of the skylight windows so she could watch and listen in to whatever they said and did.

As soon as they got in Arnold's room, Arnold set the to go container on his desk and Rhonda took off her shoes and socks and began making herself comfortable on the couch. Rhonda looked around and said, "You know what I just realized Arnold? I think this is only the second time I've ever been up to your room. I certainly don't recall ever coming up here when my family and I moved in." Arnold said, "That's right. When was the last time you were up here?" Rhonda replied, "I think it was when Nadine and I had that big dumb fight over our school project. That feels like it was a lifetime ago." Arnold said, "Maybe that's because it was." Rhonda looked over at Arnold's entertainment system and noticed a very peculiar and familiar gaming system. She pointed to it and asked, "You still have an old school Super Nintendo? Gosh, most kids I know are playing on PlayStations or Xboxs." Arnold said, "What can I say? I'm really into retro gaming. We can play on it if you want. I have all the best games: all three Donkey Kong Country games, Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, all five versions of Street Fighter II, Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, and my personal favorite, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time." Rhonda said, "That sounds like great fun, but maybe we can do that later. Right now I'm more in the mood to watch some movies." Then Arnold asked, "Do you want me to bring up any snacks or something before we decide on what movies to watch?" Rhonda said, "Sure, that sounds nice." Arnold headed toward the door and said, "Feel free to take a look around, see if there's anything you'd especially like to watch." And then he went downstairs to get some snacks and refreshments.

Rhonda got up and began looking through all the shelves. The first thing she noticed were the books on Arnold's bookcase. She noticed he had quite a few S.E. Hinton and Louis Sachar books. She also noticed a copy of one of her personal favorite books, Searching for David's Heart by Cherie Bennett. Then she looked on the CD rack and saw several CDs by the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, The Goo Goo Dolls, Dino Spumoni and especially Elvis Presley. Arnold had just about every soundtrack to all of his movies. Finally she looked at the shelf with all the DVDs and VHS's. The first thing that caught her eye were the Disney movies. She noticed he had several Disney movies including Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, Tarzan, Dumbo, Hercules, and Mulan to name a few. The next thing she noticed were the Studio Ghibli films. He had My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Whisper of the Heart and Spirited Away to name a few. Then she noticed the Elvis Presley film collections on both VHS and DVD. She looked until she spotted her three favorite Elvis movies; It Happened at the World's Fair, Kissin' Cousins and Live a Little, Love a Little. As she picked one of the copies up to look it over, she found herself suddenly thinking out loud, "Wow. To think all these years and I never knew just how much Arnold and I really have in common. Maybe my parents are right, and telling him how I feel would be worth it. Maybe we could be good for each other and would make a nice couple." As she pondered that thought, she heard the stairs creak, which told her Arnold was coming back upstairs.

Up on the roof, Helga was peering into the room with her binoculars which she'd brought along. She took a close look at what Rhonda was holding, hoping to get an idea of what Arnold likes. Then she looked at the various shelves to get more ideas. She said out loud to herself, "So, Princess thinks Arnoldo is gonna melt right into her arms just because they have a few things in common huh? Well we'll just see about that. And from the looks of things, it looks like old football head is into things like Elvis Presley, Studio Ghibli, Disney, The Beatles, The Four Seasons, S.E. Hinton and Louis Sachar. Who'd have thought that? This is some good stuff to remember. Maybe if he thinks I like the same things as he does, maybe he'll start to notice me better and go for me instead of Princess. And I should let Curly know about the things Rhonda likes. That should put him in her good graces." Then she made a note for herself on her phone reminding her to look up all of the things she saw later. She also made a note to ask Phoebe about some of those things. Then she went back to spying on them.

By now, Arnold had come back into the room holding a tray which consisted of two bowls of nacho cheese and cool ranch Doritos, a couple of Mr. Nutty fudge bars, some Swiss Cake Rolls, two packets of Fruit by the Foot, and two Yahoo sodas. He asked Rhonda, "So, did you find something you like and want to watch?" Rhonda replied, "Boy did I ever! I must say Arnold, I'm quite surprised by what I've found. I mean, I knew you loved Dino Spumoni, but I never would've pegged you for being such a big classic rock fan. I mean you like the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, and The Goo Goo Dolls. And I especially never pegged you for being such a big Elvis Presley fan. I too love all of that same music, especially the King of Rock and Roll." Arnold set the tray down on the couch and asked, "Really? You love Elvis Presley too? That's so cool. I've never met another Elvis fan before." Rhonda nodded and said, "Likewise. I also didn't know you were a lover of S.E. Hinton and Louis Sachar. I mean you have The Outsiders, Rumble Fish, Tex, Holes, Small Steps and There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom. I especially noticed that you have a copy of Searching for David's Heart, one of my personal favorites. I'd swear you have as good a taste in literature and music as you do in fashion sense." Arnold said, "Now this is downright amazing, how much we have in common. Now how do you feel about Studio Ghibli and Disney movies?" Rhonda smiled and said, "Oh I absolutely love Studio Ghibli. That and Pokémon are my favorite Japanese anime. I love Totoro, and Kiki, and Castle in the Sky, and especially Whisper of the Heart. And who in their right mind doesn't love Disney? Why I'd be surprised if I ever met someone who doesn't love anything Disney." Then Arnold asked, "So what would you like to watch first? A Disney, Studio Ghibli or Elvis movie?" Rhonda said, "I suggest we watch at least one Presley film and one Studio Ghibli film." Arnold said, "Great. Would it be alright if I picked the Elvis movie?" She smiled and said, "Only if I can pick the Ghibli film." Arnold said, "It's a deal. In that case, I suggest we watch King Creole. It was Elvis' favorite film of his own." Rhonda said, "Alright, but first let me go use the restroom." Arnold said, "No problem. I'll set up the DVD player." She walked out of the room and headed downstairs to the bathroom.

* * *

 _Chapter Fifteen:_

 _Cyber Chatting with Friends_

While Arnold was setting up the DVD player and Rhonda was going to the restroom, Helga was up on the roof still observing everything. She finally decided to text Phoebe and then Curly. She took out her phone and saw that she had a message from Phoebe. She unlocked her phone and read it. It said, "Oh my goodness Helga. I can't believe you actually told someone else about your secret crush on Arnold, and Curly no less. You know he's the class weirdo next to Brainy. I hope to god he doesn't end up spilling the beans accidentally or otherwise." She wrote a message to Phoebe first. It said, "Hey Pheebs. First off, I made him promise not to say anything or else I'd clobber him and clobber him good and hard. Second, I've got big news concerning Arnold and Rhonda. They're in his room about to watch some movies while sitting on his couch. Who knows what might happen?" She sent the message out and then began texting Curly. She said, "Hey Gammelthorpe. I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, I've learned a few things about Rhonda that you might be interested in learning. The bad news is that she's with Arnold in his room alone and they're about to watch a couple of movies together on his couch. So who knows what might happen then?" She sent the message out and waited for a response. He responded a minute later saying, "They're alone in his room and they're about to get comfortable on his couch?! Geez Louise, this is terrible. But what's this about stuff that could help me get in good with Rhonda?" Helga began typing another message back to him. It said, "I just found out that Rhonda's into some pretty crazy stuff. It turns out she likes things like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Disney, Louis Sachar, S.E. Hinton, and something called Studio Ghibli. She and Arnold are both into those same things. Maybe you and I can use that knowledge to our advantage." She hit send and the message went out. A minute later, Curly responded with, "That is some smart thinking right there Pataki. I like the way your devilish little mind works. Keep me posted if anything else happens." Helga typed back, "Will do Thaddeus Gammerthorpe." And she pocketed the phone once again before returning her attention to Arnold and Rhonda.

While Helga was on the roof messaging Curly and Phoebe, Rhonda was down in the bathroom texting with Nadine and Lila. She wrote to them, "Big news girls. Big big news. I'm with Arnold at his house right now and we just discovered that we have quite a lot in common. We both love things like Elvis Presley, Studio Ghibli, Disney, and we both love the book Searching for David's Heart. And not only that, I hugged him when we were at the bowling alley and his grandfather invited me to stay for dinner. This is getting really good." Lila responded with, "That's great news Rhonda. Keep the good flow going." And Nadine responded with, "Good for you Rhonda. Keep it up and maybe you'll find the guts to tell him how you feel about him. There won't be a better opportunity to tell him than now." Rhonda typed out a message to them which said, "You're right girls. I'm gonna keep the flow going and I think I will tell him. The timing seems to be about right for me. I'll message you girls later." She pocketed her phone and turned on the faucet to begin washing her hands.

Upstairs in his room, Arnold had finished setting up the DVD player when he received a message from Gerald. He took out his phone which read, "Hey good buddy. How's everything going? How was bowling? Harold and the guys told me they saw you two there. Did she really hug you or were they just pulling my leg?" Arnold began typing out a message which read, "Hey Gerald. Everything's going really well so far. Lunch was good and so was bowling. Yes she really did hug me but it was because she was excited about getting a good score in the 10th frame. We're at my house now about to watch some movies. We found out we have a lot in common; we both love Elvis Presley, Dino Spumoni, Studio Ghibli and Disney to name a few things. And grandpa invited her to stay for dinner. This is getting pretty serious." He hit the send button and the message went out. A minute later, Gerald responded with, "It sounds pretty serious to me. You know what you should do? You should use the opportunity to find out how she feels about you, find out if she has any romantic feelings for you or not. You and her, alone in your room? There'll never be a better opportunity to find out." Arnold quickly typed a message back that said, "That's a good idea Gerald. I think I might just do that. But if I ask her and she says yes, I don't know what I'll do. I still don't know how I feel about her yet." He heard Rhonda coming up the stairs so he quickly typed, "I gotta go. I'll message you later after Slausen's." He pocketed his phone just as Rhonda came into the room. Arnold took the disc out of the case and popped it in the DVD player. He looked at Rhonda and asked, "Hey, did you decide what Ghibli movie you wanted to watch?" Rhonda replied, "As a matter of fact I did. I decided on Whisper of the Heart since it's kind of romantic." Arnold picked up the remote and said, "Alright then. Let's get comfy and start the movie." They both sat down on the couch and Arnold pressed play.

* * *

 _Chapter Sixteen:_

 _Watching King Creole_

Shortly after the movie started, they dug into their snacks. Arnold ate mostly the nacho cheese Doritos while Rhonda ate mostly the cool ranch ones. They each had one Yahoo soda, one pack of Swiss Cake Rolls, one Fruit by the Foot, and one Mr. Nutty fudge bar. They found that they couldn't help but sing along to Elvis' songs in the movie, especially Lover Doll, Trouble and Young Dreams. Rhonda said, "I'm not usually a fan of black and white films, but this one's pretty good." Arnold replied, "I like it too. Did you know that Elvis had to be granted a 60 day deferment from joining the army in order to make the film? Now that I find pretty darn interesting." Rhonda sipped her Yahoo soda and said, "No, I didn't know that. But I do know this; two of the actors in this film, Walter Matthau and Vic Morrow, they went on to star in the Bad News Bears movie in 1976. Not many people realize that." That's when they both reached into the same bowl so that their hands touched. They quickly withdrew their hands and said, "Sorry." Then Arnold reached for his Yahoo and took a swig. Rhonda asked, "Are there anymore of those Mr. Nutty bars downstairs?" Arnold replied, "I think so. You want me to go down and grab you one?" She said, "If it's not too much trouble." Arnold paused the movie and said, "Not a problem. I'll be right back. And I'll get us some more Yahoo sodas while I'm at it." He got up, left the room and went downstairs.

As soon as Arnold closed the door, Rhonda pulled out her phone and began messaging her mother. She typed out, "Mother. You were right all along. Spending the day with Arnold is being well worthwhile. I'm in his room and I found we have many things in common. I think I might just confess how I feel about him. All I can hope is that he likes me back." She pressed send and the message went out. A minute later, her mother responded with a message that read, "That's some wonderful news baby. I wish you the best of luck confessing your feelings to him. And I really hope he likes you back. Be well my darling." Rhonda heard Arnold coming up the steps so she quickly typed out, "Thanks mother. I'll let you know how things go between us later." She pressed send and quickly pocketed her phone again.

Arnold came back into the room with two more bottles of Yahoo soda and four Mr. Nutty fudge bars. He placed them on the table next to his couch and said, "Here are the extra snacks you asked for Rhonda." Rhonda said, "Thank you Arnold. But you know what? I think I'm in the mood for something meaty. Do you still have that second gyro from the S Shack?" Arnold replied, "I do as a matter of fact. It's right there on my desk. Do you wanna split it?" Rhonda said, "Sure, I'd like that." So Arnold went to his desk, unwrapped the gyro and pulled it in half. He handed one half to Rhonda and sat back down on the couch. He picked up the remote and pressed play. For the next few minutes, all there was were the sounds of the movie and the sound of soft chewing and swallowing. Arnold asked, "How do you like the gyro Rhonda?" She replied, "Mm. It's pretty tasty. I like it." Arnold said, "Good. I just hope you're still hungry enough to eat the lasagna and garlic bread at dinner time." Rhonda said, "Oh don't worry about that Arnold. Half of a gyro, some Doritos and a few goodies won't be enough to fill me up." She picked up her first bottle of Yahoo and finished drinking it. Then Arnold handed her the second bottle. By now, the movie was more than halfway over. After they finished the gyro, they started enjoying the other Mr. Nutty bars. After a few minutes of silence, Rhonda turned to him and said, "Say Arnold?" Arnold turned to her and asked, "Yes Rhonda?" Rhonda said, "For what it's worth, I'm really glad we decided to do this today. I'm having an absolute fun time with you. It's the most fun that I've had in a while." Arnold smiled and said, "I'm really glad we decided to do this too. I'm having a good time with you too Rhonda. This is the first date I've been on since I took Lila to the Cheese Festival and I'm having an absolute blast." Rhonda smiled back at him and turned her attention back to the movie.

Up on the roof, Helga was still watching Arnold and Rhonda through the skylight. She'd watched them touch hands and share the gyro. She was a little taken aback to hear Arnold mention Rhonda staying for dinner, which meant she wouldn't be able to spy on them for a while. She considered texting Curly about what she'd seen and heard, but decided it wasn't important enough yet. Most of all, she was getting bored. She checked her watch, which read 5:30 so she'd been sitting on the roof watching them for almost two and a half hours, so she finally decided to play a game on her phone to pass the time until she saw or heard something especially important.

* * *

 _Chapter Seventeen:_

 _Confessions of Romance_

As the movie was close to its end, Rhonda thought to herself, "Should I go for it? Is this my big moment? Should I really take the risk and tell Arnold about my feelings for him?" She thought long and hard about what her mother had said, "You have to be willing to take a risk if you really want you and Arnold to go somewhere." Then she remembered something she'd heard Jessica Biel say in the movie Summer Catch, "You want big rewards? You gotta take big risks." She took a deep breath and decided that it was now or never. At that moment, the movie ended. Arnold asked, "How'd you like the movie Rhonda?" Rhonda snapped out of her daze and said, "Oh it was great. I really enjoyed it a lot." Arnold got up to take the disc out and asked, "Oh btw, what Studio Ghibli movie did you end up picking out for us to watch again? I forgot which one you said." Rhonda said, "I believe I picked out my favorite one, Whisper of the Heart." Arnold smiled and said, "Alright, then that's the one we'll watch next." As Arnold put away the copy of King Creole, Rhonda gathered up her courage and said, "Arnold, wait a minute." He turned around and asked, "What is it Rhonda?" She replied, "There's something I want to tell you. It may shock you at first, but I feel like I need to get it off my chest." Arnold thought to himself, "Oh boy, this is it. She's about to tell me how she has feelings for me and I have no idea how I'm gonna take it." Up on the roof, Helga had closed out her mobile game and was now listening closely. Arnold asked, "Is it something bad?" Rhonda replied, "Well that depends on how you take it Arnold. But you might wanna sit down for it." So Arnold went back to the couch and sat down next to her. Rhonda turned to him and took hold of his hands. She said, "What I'm about to say may shock and dismay you, but I think it's really for the best. I've been wanting to tell you this all day, and I think now is as good a time as any. The words are like stones in my heart but I'm gonna say them anyway…" She paused to take a deep breath and said, "Arnold, the truth is that going out with you wasn't my idea. It was my parents who suggested that we do it." Arnold sighed and said, "Is that it? That's not so hard for me to handle." Rhonda said, "Wait, there's more to it than that. The truth is I'm disappointed that I I didn't think it up myself, especially considering the fact that I've, that I've…" Rhonda bit her lip as she struggled to say what she wanted to say. Arnold said, "Go ahead Rhonda, say what you need to say." Rhonda took a deep breath and continued, "Especially considering the fact that I've developed a crush on you over time." She breathed a sigh of relief, happy to have gotten that out of the way. Now the rest was up to Arnold. He was wide eyed as he asked, "Rhonda, you like me? You actually like me like me?" Rhonda said, "Yes Arnold it's true. I, Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd like like you, Arnold Shortman." Arnold was indeed in shock and dismay as he looked at Rhonda wide-eyed. He finally said, "This is, wow. This is, really wow. I'm at a loss for what to say." But then he asked, "How long?" Rhonda replied, "How long what?" He asked, "How long have you been feeling this way about me?" Rhonda replied, "I think that I started having a crush on you shortly after you helped me and Nadine make up after that big dumb fight we had. And I think those feelings for you only grew after you helped me break out of my depressed funk when me and my family were poor." Arnold asked, "So in other words, you've been feeling that way about me for almost a year now?" Rhonda said, "Yes, that about sums it up." Arnold said, "This is really something else. I think I need to sit down or something." Rhonda couldn't help but giggle and said, "You're already sitting down silly." Arnold said, "Right. Well maybe I need to stand up then." He tried to stand up but Rhonda still held onto one of his hands. Rhonda said, "Arnold. I just took what might be the biggest risk a Lloyd has ever taken. I've laid my cards out on the table and told you how I feel, now one big question remains; how do _you_ feel about _me?_ Do you like me too?" Arnold said, "I'm gonna need a minute to process all of this." Reluctantly, Rhonda let go of his hand so he could sit at the chair by his desk. "This is not going as well as I hoped it would." She thought to herself.

Up on the roof, Helga felt her eyes turning green with envy. She'd heard the whole thing and it took all of her restraint not to burst into the room and start roughing up Rhonda. The confession was out, so there was nothing she could do about that. Now she had to hope and pray that Arnold would find a way to let her down gently. She also secretly hoped he wouldn't drag her into the conversation. Arnold knew how Helga felt about him, but she didn't know how he felt about her. For all she knew, even he didn't know how he felt about her. All she could do now was wait, watch and listen to what happened next.

In the room, Arnold had regained his composure and said, "Okay, I've had time to process this whole thing and now I'm ready to talk about it cool, calm and collected like. So you have feelings for me. I can understand and accept that." Rhonda felt her eyes getting teary as she asked, "But what about you? How do you feel about me?" Arnold replied, "To be perfectly honest Rhonda, I don't know what to feel right now. You and I have known each other since we were in preschool together. Up until now, I've never even considered the possibility of you and me being anything more than friends. But now that I know how you feel, well that changes just about everything." Then Arnold said, "As long as we're being open and honest here, there's something I have to confess too." Rhonda wiped her eyes as she listened to him. He said, "You remember the day that Gerald and I saved the neighborhood from being demolished? Well something else happened that night." On the roof, Helga leaned down close to hear what he said. He continued, "That night, a girl confessed to me that she was in love with me and has been for an awfully long time. She even went as far as to kiss me. But later, she tried to brush it all off as being a "In the heat of the moment" kind of thing. She and I haven't spoken about it since and I'm still trying to sort out my feelings towards her." Rhonda asked, "Do I know her? Is she in our class?" Arnold said, "Well, yes you know her and she is in our class. But I'm not gonna say who it is. I want to respect her privacy. You can guess if you want but I still won't say who it is." Rhonda took all of this in and finally asked, "So then, are you saying that there's no hope or chance of anything happening between you and me?" Arnold shook his head and said, "No, no. Of course I'm not saying that. Goodness no. I think what I am saying is, that maybe you and I should take this whole matter slowly, one step at a time and see where it goes. Give me some time to sort out my feelings for this other girl and see how I feel about you. Because I do like you Rhonda. But I don't know that I like you like you, just yet." Rhonda's eyes brightened up with hope as she asked, "So then you're saying that, there is hope for a chance between us." Arnold smiled and said, "Yes, most absotively posilutely." Then Rhonda asked, "And we can still hang out together and be the good close friends we always have been while we explore our feelings?" Arnold smiled again and said, "Oh most certainly my dear Rhonda." Rhonda smiled back at him and said, "Thank you Arnold. Thank you for everything." Arnold replied, "You're more than welcome Rhonda."

Then Arnold asked, "Oh. Did you still wanna watch Whisper of the Heart?" Rhonda said, "Oh yes please. Let's watch it." As Arnold reached for the copy of the movie, there was a knock at Arnold's door. He said, "Come on in." The door opened and his grandma Gertie walked in. She said, "Hello Kimba and friend. I just wanted to let you know that dinner will be ready in about five minutes." Arnold said, "Okay grandma. Thanks for letting us know. We'll be right down." Then Gertie left the room, closing the door behind them. Arnold said, "It looks like we'll have to save Whisper of the Heart till after dinner." Rhonda looked at her watch, which read 5:55. So she said, "That could work. We'll have dinner and then watch the movie and then we can go to Slausen's after that. It's five to six and they're open till 10:00." Arnold said, "Alright, let's go for it then." Arnold put the movie back on the shelf. Rhonda slipped back into her socks and shoes. Then they both got up and walked towards the door. But then Rhonda stopped short in front of Arnold. She turned around and gave him a hug followed by a kiss on the cheek. Arnold said, "Thanks, but what were those for?" Rhonda replied, "Those were for, being the best boy I know, for just being your good old self, for not shooting down my feelings for you, and most of all, for being willing to take a chance with me. I really laid all my cards out on the table by telling you how I felt about you Arnold. And I appreciate you not turning me straight down either. I understand that I caught you off guard and everything and I can also understand you wanting to sort out your feelings for both me and this other girl. I hope that you make the right choice at the right time." Arnold said, "In that case, you're very welcome. And thank you for being understanding as well." He held out his hand and said, "Come on, let's go join the others for dinner." She took his hand and they started walking downstairs.

Back on the roof, Helga breathed a sigh of relief and felt herself beginning to swoon. She was sighing in relief because of what Arnold had said. She knew that the girl he was talking about was none other than herself. She said out loud to herself, "I can't believe it. Arnold just practically confessed to Princess that he may have mutual feelings for me. Wait'll I tell Phoebe and Dr. Bliss about this. And I'll have to tell Curly there's not much to worry about either. Maybe I can recommend he start seeing Dr. Bliss as well to help him with his obsession with Rhonda. And speaking of Rhonda, what am I gonna do about her? She said she'll respect Arnold's wishes but she still wants to test the waters with him. I guess the only thing I can do is stand back and let Arnold figure things out for himself and hope that he ultimately chooses me. But if he chooses Rhonda, I guess I'll have to find a way to live with it and look for someone else. But let's hope it doesn't come to that." She looked back down into Arnold's room and said, "Well since I can't spy on them right now, I might as well do a little recon work and see what kind of things my precious Arnold is into. And my spy job's not over yet; I still have to watch what they do at Slausen's until they part ways for the night." She opened the window hatch and slowly made her way into the bedroom to check out Arnold's belongings.

* * *

 _Chapter Eighteen:_

 _Dinner with the Boarders_

While Helga was in Arnold's room looking through his belongings, he and Rhonda were sitting in the dining room with Phil and the boarders. While they waited for Gertie and Suzie to bring out the food, they each received a text message from their friends; Arnold had one from Gerald and Rhonda had a group message from Nadine and Lila. Arnold looked at the message which said, "Hey my main man. How's the date going with Rhonda now? Did either of you put the moves on the other?" Rhonda looked at her message from Nadine which said, "How's the movie portion of your date going with Arnold? Did you tell him how you feel about him yet or did you chicken out?" Lila's message said, "I ever so hope your movie time with Arnold is going really well." Arnold looked at Rhonda and she looked at him. They were both thinking the same thing, "Should we tell them the truth?" Rhonda even asked, "Do you think we should tell them the truth Arnold?" Arnold thought and said, "I don't really know Rhonda. They are our best friends and we know we can trust them with our lives." Rhonda said, "True, and they're certainly not the types to go blabbing our personal business." Arnold suggested, "Why don't we wait until after dinner to respond to them?" Rhonda said, "That's a good idea, but I think I'm gonna respond to Nadine and Lila now." She began typing out a response. It read, "Lila and Nadine, our movie portion is going really well. We watched King Creole with Elvis Presley and we're planning to watch Whisper of the Heart next. Arnold's grandfather invited me to stay for dinner. We're about to eat right now. As for whether or not I told Arnold how I feel, I did tell him exactly how I feel. And you know what? He didn't turn me down. He likes me too but he doesn't like like me yet. But he said there is hope between us. I'll tell you both the whole story later. I'll message you guys again after I get home from Slausen's." She pressed send and the message went through. She turned to Arnold and said, "There. They're all caught up with our date." Arnold said, "Okay. I'm gonna update Gerald about us too." He began typing out a message to Gerald. It read, "Hey Gerald. The movie part of our date is going really well. As for anyone making any moves, she did reveal how she felt about me. You were right on the ball about Rhonda. She does like me like me. As for how I feel, well let's just say it's a work in progress. I mean I do like her, but I don't like her like her just yet. But that's not to say I couldn't learn to like like her. Anyways, we're just sitting down to dinner with my grandparents and the boarders. I'll message you later after Slausen's." He pressed send and the message went out. Arnold turned to Rhonda and said, "Okay, now Gerald's all caught up with our date too." Rhonda smiled and placed her hand next to his.

That's when grandma Gertie brought out a pan of fresh hot lasagna and Suzie carried out a tray of garlic bread. As everyone began helping themselves to the lasagna and garlic bread, Rhonda turned to Phil who was sitting at the head of the table and said, "Thanks again for inviting me to stay for dinner Phil." Phil smiled and said, "Oh it's no trouble at all Rhonda. Enjoy the food. Eat as much as you like." Rhonda nodded as she took a forkful of lasagna. As she was chewing her lasagna, Ernie asked, "So tell me you two, how's the date been going for you today?" Arnold and Rhonda looked at each other and Arnold said, "It's been going really well Ernie. We're having a great time together." Oskar looked at them and said, "Eh, I still think she should've given you money to thank you for saving her." Suzie looked at her husband and exclaimed, "Oskar! Don't be so rude to our guest." Phil said, "Yeah, simmer down you miserable mooching looney." Rhonda couldn't help but chuckle at that. Then she turned to Mr. Hyunh and asked, "Say Mr. Hyunh, do you still sing country songs from time to time?" Mr. Hyunh smiled and said, "Oh yes, very much so. I still like to write my own songs and play the guitar." Rhonda asked, "Does anyone still listen to your song, The Simple Things?" He replied, "I get asked about it on a regular basis at the restaurant I work at." Arnold looked up from his lasagna and garlic bread and asked, "Are you still the head chef as well?" Mr. Hyunh replied, "Yes of course Arnold. I like it very much." Then Gertie asked, "How's your family doing little one?" Rhonda turned to Gertie and said, "I'd say my family's doing really well Mrs. Shortman, thank you for asking." Then Gertie asked, "How do you like the lasagna rich one?" Again Rhonda said, "Oh it's absolutely delicious and so very cheesy. It's some of the very best lasagna I've ever tasted." Arnold said, "I'm glad you like it Rhonda. I love it when someone appreciates my grandma's cooking. Goodness knows Gerald didn't have the same taste when he lived here." Rhonda took a bite of her garlic bread and noticed she was out of lasagna. She looked up and asked, "Is it okay to have more?" Phil passed her the pan and said, "Please, by all means, help yourself. Have some more garlic bread too if you like." Rhonda took another serving of lasagna from the pan, and so did Arnold. As they continued eating, Rhonda placed her free hand on Arnold's hand under the table. Arnold couldn't help but smile at that. Then, to Arnold's surprise, she began rubbing her leg against his. This caused him to blush beet red. Ernie noticed this and asked, "Say Arnold? You okay? Your face is as red as the tomato sauce." Arnold said, "I'm fine Ernie, just fine." They continued eating dinner mostly in silence.

While they were downstairs eating dinner, Helga was up in Arnold's room rummaging through all of his belongings. She was pleased to see that he loved Disney and still loved Dino Spumoni. What surprised her was his love for Studio Ghibli and Elvis Presley. Another thing that surprised her was the lack of jazz in his music collection. She once heard him say that jazz was his favorite type of music but she presumed he'd become more interested in soft and classic rock. She said to herself, "I am truly amazed at what my beloved is into. Maybe I could get into this stuff too and maybe then he'll like me more. Yeah, I could see myself watching Studio Ghibli and Elvis Presley movies. I could even see myself listening to his music. He's not too bad." While she was inspecting the music, her phone began to vibrate. She picked it up and saw a message from Curly. It read, "Hey partner, how's the spy mission going? Anything new to report?" Helga began typing back. She said, "Plenty. Your precious Rhonda confessed to Arnold how she really feels about him. She's had a crush on him for almost a year now. As for Arnold? He says that he likes her but he doesn't like her like her yet. Plus he's trying to work through his feelings towards another girl, which I'm pretty sure is me. So until he figures things out, he and Rhonda are gonna remain friends and keep just hanging out together. They're downstairs right now having dinner with his grandparents and the boarders so I'm looking through his room, seeing what he likes. Oh, before I forget, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek by the way." She pressed send and the message went out. A minute later, she got a response from him that read, "She hugged and kissed him? I don't believe my eyes. But at least he didn't return the feelings for her, so that means I may still have a chance to win her over. That reminds me, don't forget to tell me what you learned about her so I can put it to good use." Helga typed back one more message which said, "Don't worry you Romeo wannabe, I'll be sure to tell you everything I learned. I'll text you again once their date is over. They still plan to watch one more movie and then go to Slausen's." That's when she heard some noises coming from the hallway. She peeked behind the door and saw Arnold and Rhonda coming towards his room. So she quickly put her phone back in her pocket and climbed the steps back up to the roof.

* * *

 _Chapter Nineteen:_

 _Watching Whisper of the Heart_

Arnold and Rhonda walked back into his room and Arnold noticed the light was on. At first he thought to himself, "Did I leave the light on when we left the room?" But then he brushed it off as nothing to worry about. He walked back over to his movie shelf while Rhonda made herself comfortable on the couch once again. This time she only brushed off her shoes and kept her socks on. Arnold picked up his copy of Whisper of the Heart and took the disc out. He placed it on the player and pressed the button for it to slide in. Then he sat back down next to Rhonda. While the previews were rolling, Arnold asked, "Say Rhonda? What was all that about downstairs?" Rhonda then decided to play coy and asked, "What was what about Arnold? I don't know what you mean." Arnold replied, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm talking about holding my hand twice, which to tell the truth I really didn't mind too much. But what was that business of rubbing your leg against mine? I thought we agreed to take this whole thing one step at a time, slowly. We just talked about all of that before dinner." Rhonda replied, "Oh Arnold, I know what we talked about, but I don't see any harm in showing you small signs of affection. I guess I just wanted to show you how good of a girlfriend I could be to you." Arnold smiled suddenly and said, "Believe me Rhonda, you'll have plenty of time and chances to show me what a good girlfriend you can be. For now, let's just keep things simple and slow." Arnold picked up the remote for the DVD/VCR player and asked, "Would you like the subtitles on for this one? Call me crazy but I like having the subtitles on when watching my movies." Rhonda said, "Sure we can have the subtitles on." Arnold pressed play and the movie began.

Up on the roof, Helga was researching the movie they were starting to watch. The first thing she noticed was that it was an hour and 51 minutes long. So she checked her watch which read 7:00. She let out a low moan. If they were really going to watch that movie, it would be almost 9:00 by the time they were done watching it. And as far as she knew, they still planned to go to Slausen's afterward. She then decided to make use of some of the apps on her phone, including YouTube, Netflix and Flixster Video. She noticed some chairs and a table near the water tower, so she decided to take one and sit down while listening closely to Arnold and Rhonda's conversation.

As the movie started playing, Arnold looked over at Rhonda and asked, "Say Rhonda?" She replied, "Yes Arnold?" He asked, "Would it be alright if I put my arm around you?" She couldn't help but blush at the question. Then she said, "Alright, go ahead." So Arnold slowly put his arm around her shoulders. Then Rhonda had a question, "Would you feel at all uncomfortable if I were to rest my head on your shoulder?" Arnold said, "No, I wouldn't feel too uncomfortable if you did that." So she rested her head on Arnold's shoulder as they continued watching the movie. Then they slowly held hands again. They stayed that way through most of the movie while Helga watched them from up on the roof.

 _One hour and 30 minutes later…_

The movie was now almost over, and Arnold and Rhonda were still sitting close together. Arnold had his arm around Rhonda and she had her head resting on his shoulder. Arnold asked, "Say Rhonda, what is it that you like so much about this particular Studio Ghibli movie?" Rhonda smiled and replied, "I like it because of the romance that takes place in the story. Think about it; two students, a girl and a boy who are as different as they can be, and yet they seem destined for each other. They even fall in love by the end of the film. Sometimes I wish life could be that easy when it comes to romance." Arnold was feeling astounded by that as he said, "Golly. I kind of wish my romantic life could be that easy too." Rhonda smiled and said, "You never know Arnold. Things could get easier as time passes by." Arnold smiled too and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. And you've really given me a lot to think about over the next few days." Rhonda said, "You take all the time you need. And no matter what your decision ends up being, whether you choose me or this other girl, I will support you every step of the way." Arnold said, "Thanks Rhonda." And she replied, "You're welcome good buddy." They finished watching the movie in silence.

When the movie was finished, Arnold got up and took the disc out of the player. Rhonda got up and put her shoes back on. Arnold placed the DVD case back on the shelf and said, "Well this day's turning out to be one of the best days of my life." Rhonda said, "Yeah, I'm right up there with you. This is turning out to be one of the happiest days of my life." Then she looked over at Arnold's entertainment system and asked, "Say Arnold? Would you care to dance with me?" Arnold was taken by surprise at that remark and asked, "Dance with you? But there isn't any music playing." Rhonda smiled and said, "We can fix that." She walked up close to him and began looking through his CD collection. She finally picked out one that read, "The Very Best of Tommy James and the Shondells." She placed the CD in the player and the song, I Think We're Alone Now started to play. She held out her hand and asked, "Dance with me?" Arnold took her hand and said, "Okay." He took hold of her hand and they began to dance together. They mostly did the waltz. Rhonda said, "You're a very good dancer Arnold." He replied, "Thanks Rhonda. You're not so bad yourself. This is very nice." When the song ended, he dipped her and held her gaze for at least a minute. For a second he felt an urge to try and kiss her, but he resisted for obvious reasons. She quickly glanced at her watch and said, "We should probably get going to Slausen's. It's about to be 9:00." Arnold said, "You're right. We should get going." He lifted her back up and then reluctantly let go of her. They cleared away all the garbage from their snack binge earlier, picked up the two bowls from the Doritos and walked out of the room together. That's when Helga decided to make her way back down the fire escape from the rooftop.

* * *

 _Chapter Twenty:_

 _A Trip to Slausen's_

Shortly after putting the two chip bowls in the sink and throwing away their garbage, Arnold and Rhonda made their way to the front door. The boarders were all gathered in the living room once again watching television. Arnold said, "Grandma, Grandpa. Rhonda and I are going to head on out to Slausen's now and then I'm gonna take Rhonda home." Phil said, "Okay you two. Have fun and above all, be safe." Gertie added, "Enjoy the rest of your date Kimba." Then Arnold motioned to Rhonda to say goodbye to them. So Rhonda said, "Mr. and Mrs. Shortman. Thank you both again for inviting me to stay for dinner. It was one of the best meals I've ever had." Gertie replied, "You are more than welcome sweetie." And Phil said, "Don't be a stranger okay Rhonda? Come by here again soon. You're always welcome here at the Sunset Arms." Rhonda replied, "Thanks Phil. I'll keep that in mind." Arnold said, "Well come on Rhonda, let's get going." They turned and walked out the door and started walking down the street, with Helga following close behind them.

When they reached Slausen's ice cream parlor, they noticed a few of the girls from their class were sitting in there enjoying some ice cream sundaes and splits. Rhonda said, "It looks like we'll have company again." Arnold said, "It's no big deal. It's only Sheena, Patty and Phoebe. I'm sure they won't ask us too many questions." They walked inside and the bell on the door jingled. Sheena, Patty and Phoebe all turned their heads to see who'd walked in. Sheena said, "Oh hi Arnold and Rhonda. It's nice to see you both." Arnold replied, "It's nice to see you girls too." Patty asked, "So what brings you two here so late on a Saturday?" Rhonda replied, "I guess we had the same idea as you three did." Phoebe said, "I heard from Gerald that you two were spending the day together. Is it true?" Rhonda replied, "If you must know Phoebe, yes we did spend the whole day together. We ate lunch, went bowling, and watched movies at Arnold's house. Now we're here to have some ice cream before he walks me home." Arnold looked around and asked, "Say Phoebe, where's Helga? Isn't she usually with you?" Phoebe replied, "I'm actually expecting her to be here any second now." Rhonda said, "Come on then Arnold, let's go sit at the counter." So they both took their seats next to Phoebe and picked up the menu to decide on what they wanted to have.

Outside, Helga was peering in through the window. She noticed Phoebe and said to herself, "This is just perfect. I can go in there and pretend Phoebe invited me to join her and I can watch Arnold and Princess up close and personal like. Phoebe you have really great timing." She turned and walked inside making the door bell jingle. Arnold and the girls all turned to see that she had come inside. Phoebe said, "Ah, there you are Helga. I was waiting for you to get here before I ordered anything." Helga smiled and said, "Thanks for saving me a spot Pheebs." She walked right past Arnold and Rhonda and took a seat at the counter next to Phoebe. Then she picked up a menu to decide on what ice cream she wanted. While she looked over the menu, she glanced towards Arnold and Rhonda out of the corner of her eye. Then she watched as Eddy, the waiter came up to them as he asked, "What can I get for you two tonight?" Arnold said, "l'll have a hot fudge sundae please." And Rhonda said, "And I'll have a caramel fudge sundae if you please." Eddy wrote down their orders and said, "I'll get right on them kids." Then he walked over to Phoebe and Helga and asked, "And what can I get for you two girls?" Phoebe said, "I'll have a concrete mixer with chocolate sauce please." Then Helga said, "And I'll have a double chocolate milkshake with extra whipped cream and sprinkles, please." Eddy wrote down their orders as well and said, "I'll get your orders right away girls." He walked to another side of the room and began working on everyone's orders.

At the front of the counter, Helga was listening in to what Arnold and Rhonda were saying. She heard Arnold say, "Well I would say this day is wrapping up quite nicely wouldn't you say Rhonda?" Rhonda replied, "Yes Arnold, this day is turning out to be quite a good one." A couple of minutes later, Eddy brought up Arnold and Rhonda's orders. He placed them in front of them and also handed them their bill. Rhonda looked it over. Their sundaes cost them $9.87. She looked at Arnold who said, "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten our deal about me paying for Slausen's." He dug out a $10 bill from his wallet and placed it on top of the bill. Then they both dug into their sundaes. While they were enjoying their ice cream, Eddy came back with Helga and Phoebe's orders. He placed them on the counter along with their bill. As they dug into their ice creams, Sheena and Patty walked by them on their way out. Sheena said, "Goodnight everyone, see you at school on Monday." Patty said, "Bye you guys, see you later." Arnold turned and said, "Goodbye Sheena and Patty. See you girls at school." Rhonda said, "See you later girls." A minute later, Helga turned to Arnold and Rhonda and asked, "So Princess and Football Head, what are you two doing here together? You on some kind of date or something?" Rhonda shook her head and said, "If you must know Helga, I invited Arnold to spend the day with me as a way to thank him for saving my life the other night." Arnold said, "It's true Helga. We went out to lunch together, then went bowling and then watched some movies and had dinner at my house. Now we're here having some ice cream before I walk her home." Helga said, "Sounds like you two have had a busy day." Arnold replied, "Yeah, it was pretty busy, but it was also a lot of fun." Rhonda added, "Oh yes, we had a lot of fun." Helga replied, "Well good for you two." And she continued drinking her chocolate milkshake. The four of them then proceeded to finish their ice creams in mostly silence.

* * *

 _Chapter Twenty-One:_

 _Walking Rhonda Home_

By the time the four of them left Slausen's, it was 9:45. Helga and Phoebe said their goodbyes to Arnold and Rhonda and headed off in one direction. Arnold and Rhonda headed off in another. But a minute after they walked away, Helga began trailing them again from a distance. They walked and walked on their way to Rhonda's house. As they came close to it, Rhonda said, "Arnold. I just wanna go on record one more time and say that this has been one of the best and most enjoyable days of my young life." Arnold replied, "Yeah, I have to say the same thing. This was one of the best dates of my life. Even if it wasn't your idea to begin with, I'm still glad we did it." Then he had a question, "Speaking of which, why did your parents suggest we go out together in the first place?" She took a minute to think that over and said, "I'm not entirely sure. I guess my parents must like you for some reason or other and they must've thought we'd make a nice couple together. And personally, I can't imagine why my parents wouldn't like you. Maybe it had something to do with the way you helped me out of my depressed funk when we were poor. But of course that's just a theory." Arnold replied, "Well I guess it's a theory worth pursuing. And I'm glad your parents approve of me for all intents and purposes."

Finally, they reached the stoop of Rhonda's house. She turned to Arnold and said, "Well I guess here is where we must part ways." Arnold said, "Yeah, I guess it is." With Helga secretly watching from a safe distance, Arnold held out his hand and said, "Goodnight my good friend." She shook his hand and said, "Goodnight my old buddy." But instead of letting go, She leaned forward and gave him another hug. Then she kissed him on the cheek for the third time in three days. Arnold blushed and said, "Thanks again." She replied, "You're welcome." Then she asked, "Give me a call or send me a text when you get home, so I know you made it okay?" Arnold replied, "I can and will do that." Rhonda started up the steps when Arnold said, "Say Rhonda?" She turned and said, "Yes Arnold?" He rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?" She smiled hopefully and said, "I don't really have anything planned. Why do you ask?" Arnold said, "I was just thinking, since we had such a great time together today, that maybe we could hang out again tomorrow. Would you be up for that?" Rhonda's eyes lit up and she said, "I would like that Arnold. I would like that a lot. Did you have anything in mind?" Arnold replied, "I was thinking we could maybe go to a movie. The theater is having a Will Ferrell double feature this weekend, Anchorman and The Other Guys. Or if you'd prefer, I can come over here to your house this time and I could bring along some more Elvis Presley and Studio Ghibli films for us to watch. What do you think about that?" Rhonda said, "They both sound really nice. Why don't we talk about it in the morning and we'll figure things out from there?" Arnold replied, "Alright. I think that's a good idea." Rhonda said, "Okay. Then I guess I'll see you sometime tomorrow then." Arnold replied, "Yeah, I guess you will." And he started walking down the street while Rhonda went inside her home, closing the door behind her.

Down the street, Helga had watched and heard everything they said. She was glad to see the date was finally over, but was upset to hear Arnold ask her to hang out with him again so soon. This left her with a dilemma; if Arnold came to Rhonda's house to watch movies, there would be no way for her to spy on them. So she had to hope that they would go to the movies, if they got together at all that is. But for now, she decided to put the thought aside as she headed for home. She knew now that Arnold had conflicting feelings for her and she was willing to accept that. If figuring out his feelings for her meant spending time with Rhonda, she was willing to take that chance. All she could do now was hope and pray that Arnold would choose her instead of Rhonda. And if he did, it would make her the happiest girl in all of Hillwood. As she walked home, she decided to text Phoebe one last time. She decided to tell Curly about the end of the date in the morning. She typed out a message which read, "Hey Pheebs. Arnold just walked Rhonda home and now he's heading home himself. They shared a hug goodnight and she kissed him on the cheek again. Then he asked her to hang out with him again tomorrow. Surprisingly, she said yes. They're either gonna watch movies at her place or go see this double feature at the movies. Let's hope they do the latter so I can watch them again. I'll call you sometime tomorrow Pheebs. Have a good night." She pressed send and the message went out.

* * *

 _Chapter Twenty-Two:_

 _The Night's End_

When Arnold got home, it was just after 10:00. His grandpa and grandma were sitting in the living room watching TV. He figured the other boarders had gone to bed already. Phil said, "Is that you Arnold?" Arnold hung up his jacket and replied, "Yes grandpa, I'm home." Gertie and Phil walked into the hallway and Phil asked, "So, how did the rest of your date go Shortman? Did you seal it with a kiss? Heh heh heh." Arnold replied, "She did kiss me on the cheek again and she hugged me too for the third time today. This was one of the best days of my life grandma and grandpa. I don't think I would trade it for anything." Gertie smiled and said, "I'm glad you and your friend had a good time Kimba. I'm going up to bed now. I'll see you in the morning Arnold." As Gertie started up the stairs, Arnold said, "Goodnight grandma. See you in the morning." Phil rubbed Arnold's head and asked, "So tell me Arnold. Are you going to see her again? Is there gonna be a second date?" Arnold replied, "As a matter of fact grandpa, I think Rhonda and I may see each other tomorrow. I asked her if she was free and she said yes. So yes we may hang out again." Phil smiled and said, "Oh that's wonderful Shortman. Come on, we'll go in the kitchen and make some hot chocolate before bed." Arnold took out his phone and said, "While you're doing that, I'm gonna text Gerald and then Rhonda. She asked me to do that once I got home." They walked into the kitchen and Arnold sat down at the table. He began typing out a message to Gerald. It read, "Hey Gerald. I just got home from Rhonda's place. The end of our date was nothing short of fantastic. And guess what. During the second movie, she let me put my arm around her and she rested her head on my shoulder. How's that for making a move? And guess what else. She and I had a short dance after the second movie before we went to Slausen's. And one more thing, I asked her if she'd like to hang out with me again tomorrow and she said yes. I don't know what we're gonna do yet, but I know we'll have a good time. If you wanna know anything else, I'll tell you about it tomorrow." He pressed send and the message went out. He decided to wait a minute to see if Gerald would respond. And he did about two minutes later. The message said, "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold. My main man. You are the boldest kid I've ever known. You actually had a good time with Rhonda Lloyd and you're already making plans to see her again? You really are bold. Congratulations to you my main man. You can tell me everything else tomorrow. I've got to hit the hay soon. Ttyl old buddy." Arnold read the message and placed the phone down on the table. He smiled contentedly as Phil gave him a cup of hot chocolate. Then he remembered he was supposed to touch base with Rhonda too. So he picked up his phone and began scrolling through his contacts till he found her name. He decided to text her first and then call her before he went to bed.

Meanwhile at the Wellington-Lloyd residence, Rhonda was sitting in the living room with her parents. Brooke asked, "So how did your date with Arnold go honey?" Buckley said, "Yes, please tell us. We'd like to know." Rhonda said, "Well, I guess it's best to start from the top. We went to lunch at this new place called the S Shack. It was very swank and classy. Next, we went to the bowling alley and bowled one game. Then we went to Arnold's house and watched two movies; King Creole with Elvis Presley and the Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart. Between those two movies, we had dinner with Arnold's grandparents and the boarders. After the second movie, we had a short dance in his room. Then finally we went to Slausen's and topped off the night with a few ice cream sundaes. And then he walked me home where I gave him a hug for the third time today and kiss on the cheek for the second time today." Buckley asked, "Three hugs and two kisses? At least you're being consistent sweetheart." Brooke said, "But what I would like to know is this; did you manage to tell him how you feel about him? Did he take it well and does he like you back?" Rhonda replied, "To be perfectly honest mother, yes I did manage to tell him my feelings for him and yes he took it very well. But as for him liking me back? Well let's just say that's a work in progress. He does like me, but he doesn't like like me just yet. But he said that he could grow to like me like me. He also said that he has conflicting feelings about another girl at school, although who it is is really anyone's guess. The point is, that while he sorts out his feelings for this mystery girl, he does want to keep spending time with me and give our relationship room to grow and get better, especially after finding out how much he and I have in common. We both love Studio Ghibli, Disney, Louis Sachar, S.E. Hinton, Cherie Bennett, and especially Elvis Presley." Brooke smiled at her daughter and said, "We're very proud of you honey for following your heart and taking that risk. Now you have to wait for the big rewards." Buckley asked, "Can we presume that you'll be seeing him again sometime soon?" Rhonda smiled and said, "As a matter of fact daddy, Arnold invited me to hang out with him again tomorrow. He either wants to go to a movie or would like to come here and watch some of his movies with me." Brooke smiled again and said, "He does? Well that's wonderful sweetheart, just wonderful." At that moment, Rhonda's phone began to vibrate. She took it out of her pocket and saw a message from Arnold. Then she remembered she was going to text Nadine and Lila once she got home. She let out a short yawn and said, "Well it's getting pretty late. I think I'll go upstairs and start getting ready for bed. She hugged both of her parents and kissed them goodnight. Then she headed upstairs to her room.

Up in her room, she read the message from Arnold. It read, "Hi Rhonda. I just got home and am having some hot chocolate with my grandpa. Would it be alright if I call you before I go to bed? Call me crazy, but I'd like to hear your voice one more time before I go to sleep." She couldn't help but coo and ahh at the message. She quickly typed out a response that said, "Hi Arnold. It would be absolutely acceptable for you to call me before we go to bed. I'd like to hear your voice one more time too. Let me send one more message to Nadine and Lila and then I'll text you when I'm ready." She pressed send and the message went out. Then she began typing out a message to Nadine and Lila. It read, "Girls. If you're still awake, I just want to let you both know that the date ended on a really great note. Arnold had such a good time with me that he asked to see me again tomorrow. We'll either go to a movie or else he'll come to my house and we'll watch some more of his movies together. And he wants to talk to me one more time before he goes to bed. This has been one of the happiest days of my life. And I'll gladly tell you both more about it tomorrow." She pressed send and the message went out. A minute later she received a response from Lila, which said, "Did it really? That is ever so sweet that he wants to see you again so soon and that he wants to talk with you one more time. I hope you two have a nice conversation." Then Nadine responded with, "That is awesome Rhonda. I'm glad you guys had such a great time together and that you're going to see each other again tomorrow. I can't wait to hear all about it." With that, Rhonda set her phone down on the bed and began to change into her pajamas.

Back in Arnold's house, he had since then gone upstairs and was now changing into his pajamas. After he was changed, he sat down on the bed and began playing on his phone, waiting for a message from Rhonda. He got that message about two minutes later. It read, "Okay Arnold. I'm ready for bed and ready to talk with you." Arnold smiled and began dialing her number. Then he pressed the talk button on his phone. The phone rang twice before she said, "Hi Arnold." He said, "Hi Rhonda. Are you laying down in bed yet?" Rhonda replied, "Yes Arnold, I am laying down on my bed. So what's on your mind aside from wanting to hear my voice one more time?" Arnold said, "I just wanted to go on record and say one more time that this has been one of the best days of my young life. And I have you to thank for it, you and your parents actually but yeah." Rhonda said, "Oh Arnold, that's so sweet of you to say. This was one of the best days of my life too." Then Arnold said, "And listen, about your feelings towards me. I just wanna say one last time that I'm flattered that you like me like that. And I think that under the right time and the right circumstances, maybe we can be more than friends. Like I said, just give me some time to sort out my feelings for this other girl and let's you and I take this whole thing one step at a time. I know that together, we can get to where we want to be." Rhonda said, "Don't worry Arnold. You take all the time you need to figure things out. When you do, I'll be right here waiting. And I really appreciate you wanting to see me again tomorrow. I just know that we'll have another good time." Arnold replied, "Don't mention it Rhonda. It was the least I could do." Then he said, "I guess that's about all I have to say for now. Maybe we should both be getting to bed. The sooner we wake up, the sooner we see each other again." Rhonda said, "I agree. So this is where I'll say goodnight and sweet dreams to you Arnold. I'll see you tomorrow." Arnold replied, "You got it. Goodnight and sweet dreams to you too Rhonda. I'll see you tomorrow as well." They both hung up their phones. Then Arnold laid his head down on the pillows and Rhonda did the same to her pillows. They soon closed their eyes and were drifting off into dreamland with big contended smiles on both of their faces.

 _The End._

 _Did they go on another date? Did Arnold ever sort out his feelings between Helga and Rhonda? Did Curly do something to eventually win over Rhonda? How did all of their friends react to Rhonda and Arnold going out together? Well I'm afraid those questions are for another story on another day. If you like this story enough, maybe I'll write a follow up story to it._

 _How did you like my first Fanfiction story? Please feel free to comment, review and critique me. I could use all the critiquing and advice I can get._


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